A Whole New World (A LegolasOC Fanfiction)
by oOmiraOo
Summary: Freya Ellis is a normal girl trying to cope with her life after her grandmother, the only relative she has, passes away. But then something unbelievable happens and she finds herself in a very different world with an arrow pointed at her by a certain elf. Things change and so does she. I'm terrible at summaries, sorry. (Legolas / OC)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

 **Summary:** Freya Ellis is a normal girl trying to cope with her life after her grandmother, the only relative she has, passes away. But then something unbelievable happens and she finds herself in a very different world with an arrow pointed at her by a certain elf. Things change and so does she. And she ends up being the 10th member of a fellowship seeking to destroy evil. I'm terrible at summaries, sorry. (Legolas / OC)

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. I hope you will like this fan fiction. It's my first time writing one for the Lord of the Rings and pairing Legolas with an OC. I always wanted to do this, since there are so many situation I love to see Legolas in and I can't find enough of them on internet (I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one feeling this way :D).

I would love to hear your comments and ideas so please tell me what you think. And one more thing, English is not my first language so please go easy on me ;)

Love you all J

Mira

 **Chapter 1**

"Goodbye Mr. Morgan. Have a nice weekend." I say as I put on my jacket, getting ready to leave the library. My boss turns around and waves in my direction, smiling kindly at me.

"Good job today, Freya. Have a nice vacation." Mr. Morgan says as he puts down some books on his desk.

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan. See you then." I say smiling gratefully at my boss before turning away. My boss is a really nice man. He treats me like a daughter. So when I asked him for two weeks off the job, he accepted without any complaint, being aware of my situation.

Two months ago I lost my grandmother who was the only relative I really had. I lost my parents in an accident when I was two years old. I didn't even remember them so my granny was all the family I ever had. Ever since I lost her too, I haven't been in a good shape. I moved to a small apartment and tried to start a new life. This helped a bit since I no longer lived in a house all alone full of my childhood memories with granny. This vacation was my doctor's advice. She said spending some time alone on what you like without worrying about your everyday life can help you move on. And I was ready to move on. Not that I would forget about my granny but she wouldn't want me to spend my life like this and I knew I had to pick myself up at some point. So I decided to listen to the doctor and go on a hiking trip. I always wanted to do this anyway. Spending time in nature, away from the city crowd for a while was an inviting thought to me. I had this all planned out. I was actually going with a small group of people since going alone was a bit unsafe for a young woman as the tour guide told me.

I went through everything once more in my head as I made my way home. I had already packed up. I've done shopping for some hiking necessities and I said goodbye to my only friend Tina yesterday, so I was ready to go this instant though I had to wait till morning. I have this strange excitement for this trip. Like it really is special, and it is since it's the first time I'm doing something for myself alone.

I open the door to my small apartment and go straight to kitchen, making some coffee for myself. I check the calendar on the wall once more, making sure I haven't forgotten anything important. October 20. This meant I'm gonna miss Halloween this year. I really didn't give it much thought though. I'm not in the mood for costumes and parties right now. But Tina was not so happy about it. It took days till she agreed with my decision finally saying it's probably good for me to take a break but I had to make up to her when I get back. I smile to myself remembering that. We were really different. I was quiet and introvert and Tina the exact opposite. I knew she'd be busy this year though, since Tina was getting married in four months and was inseparable from Nick, her fiancé. That's why I didn't feel so guilty about going on my own.

I walk to my room, sipping my coffee. My backpack is in the middle of the room. Since I have nothing else to do I start double checking my stuff. I have my map and compass, flashlight, waterproof matches, sunglasses and sunscreen. My favorite hand knife that I never used before but I'm gonna take it with me anyway since it's really cool. Some extra clothing along with pads and razors and some other hygienic stuff. A small first aid kit and a fire starter. I also had some canned food, not too much since we could also buy some along the way and anymore of it would make my pack really heavy. I throw in some unnecessary stuff too since I have more room in my pack and that's it. It's really hard for me not to take my laptop with me since it's practically a part of my body but who would bring their laptop to a hiking trip, come on.

I repack everything and put my stuff in front of the door, looking at it excitedly. It's like I'm my teenager self all over again feeling this is gonna be an adventure, an adventure I always wanted in my life. I couldn't wait anymore. I make a simple sandwich and sit comfortably on the couch staring at TV without really noticing what's on. I smile at the picture of my granny on the coffee table, already feeling better. This is gonna be good.

I never knew nature was so green and comforting, I mean I knew but never really felt it so much. The physical part of hiking for more than one day is a bit unexpected. I thought I would be ready since I always went to gym and wasn't exactly a weakling but this trip is a bit above my level. Thank god I'm with a group though; it really helps since I'm inexperienced. The group is really nice and friendly.

All was going well till today, the third day of our trip. We were going to stay at an inn tonight so Jack, the tour guide was in a hurry to get us there before nightfall. It started after lunch. We were all sitting in a circle and finishing our lunch when we heard a loud noise.

"Oh no. It can't be a thunder. That's not what the forecast said." Jenna says looking worriedly at the sky.

"Don't worry Jenna. It's probably just a shower." Jack says as he starts packing up, getting ready to leave.

I don't mind the rain. I actually love it. I always went for a walk whenever it rained back home, so the thought of a little rain doesn't bother me at all. Most of my companions seem to feel like me as we all follow Jack, talking and laughing all the while. Thirty minutes later the passing shower really turns into a heavy downpour. I'm at the back of the group, trying to keep up. As the rain gets harder I zip up my sweater and pull down my hood to not get totally drenched. Then the sky made a really loud noise. I feel like everything around me shook for a second. I'm gonna start walking toward the group again when something a few meters to my right takes my attention. It looks shiny, but I'm too far away to really see what it is. I look at the group. They aren't really that far. I could go check it and be back in a few seconds. So I, being the typical Freya that I am, start walking toward the shiny thing. As I walk closer I notice that it's not a shiny thing. It actually isn't a thing at all. Just a part of air shining, as if it's torn and light is coming through it. I stop right there. What the hell. Unless I'm really seeing things that definitely looks like a portal. I know, portals don't exist and all but this looks like one. Like the portal Dean Winchester in Supernatural went through when he was coming out of purgatory. A little piece of floating light in the air. I know I'm definitely too much into fantasy stories and TV series for my own good but it really is there. My heart starts beating a bit faster. Ok. I'm probably wrong and when I get a little closer I see that I'm being ridiculous but I start walking toward the light anyway, expecting the light to disappear any second. It doesn't though. It's right in front of me now, pulsing magically. No, no, what am I saying? What magic? I look back at the group one more time. I can still see them, apparently no one still has noticed I'm not there. Just then I feel a breeze from behind me. I freeze in place, feeling a bit afraid. I'm being ridiculous it's just the wind, isn't it? "There's no portal here. It's just my imagination." I keep telling myself as I slowly turn around to check once more and almost fall on my butt from the shock.

The freaky shiny piece of air is right in front of me, just a few inches away. Now I'm really freaked out. I back away from it but my feet hit a root on the ground and I lose my footing. I scream as I fall down. But before I hit the ground the shiny thing reaches me and I close my eyes in fear. For a few seconds nothing happens. Then I feel a strong wind forming around me. I open my eyes. Everything is spinning with an incredible speed. I see different shades of colors. I start to feeling sick. Everything goes by too fast and I close my eyes again, hoping it would all stop soon, whatever the hell it is. And it did. Unexpectedly. Suddenly the wind is gone and I fall, hitting the hard ground. "Oww… Oh God. That hurt." I said to no one in particular as I rolled on the ground clutching my sides. I lay there for a minute waiting for the pain to go away before slowly opening my eyes. I get up on trembling legs and look around myself with wide eyes. I'm still in the woods. Though the rain is gone and the ground is absolutely dry. What the fuck is going on exactly? Did I actually…? No no no. No way. Stop being stupid Freya. I walk around a bit. No one is there. No sight of the group. I search around frantically for something familiar but find none. Even the shiny portal thing is gone. Maybe I'm dreaming. Or maybe I fell and hit my head somewhere and I'm in a coma. That makes more sense than traveling through a portal. Yeah. So I'm gonna wake up any moment. But I don't. Now that I look, the trees are different somehow. I don't recognize them at all. I turn around once more and find a sharp pointed object a few inches from my face.

 _"Who are you? What are you doing here?"_ The guy behind the pointy object in my face says that. Whatever it was he said, I have no idea. He's pointing an arrow toward me. An Arrow? Wait a minute who would use bow and arrow in the twenty first century?

I keep staring at him in shock. He's weird. And I mean weird weird. Long blond perfect hair, sharp blue eyes and really handsome features. His clothes are even weirder. He's wearing a dark green tunic like thing with strange pants and he has a freaking cloak around his shoulders that looks really soft. Yup either I've totally gone insane or I'm in a coma. He doesn't look real to me at all.

 _"I said who are you? Answer me this instant."_ The handsome guy says something again. This time his tone is harsher. He glares at me really dangerously. I gulp.

"Uh …" I stutter. Not really knowing what to say.

" _Do you not speak Elvish?"_ He says in his rhythmic language, which I would've found beautiful if I wasn't so freaked out at the moment. He sees that I'm not answering him and tries again.

"Who are you?" This time I get what he says. Yes finally something in English.

"I'm… I'm Freya." I answer him hesitantly, trying not to show how scared I really am.

"How did you get here? What foul magic did you use?" He says, obviously not happy to see me there.

"Magic? What are you talking about? Look , I'm sorry. I didn't know this area was prohibited. I was just on a hiking trip. I would leave as soon as you show me the right way out of here." I say, bringing my hands up in the air so he could see I meant no harm and lower that bow of his.

He frowns but lowers the weapon a little. "You fell out of the sky." He says looking at me up and down.

"Uhhh… I don't know myself what exactly happened." I say more to myself than him. Then I frown. "Is this a joke? Are you messing with me? What's with the costume anyway?" I ask him a bit annoyed that someone would do such a thing. But in my heart I feel that there is no joke. Something unnatural happened to me. Nothing could explain the weird experience I just had. I mean I saw the whole freaking universe spinning around me, didn't I? Was I Drugged? His frown deepens and he brings his bow back up. Okay. Big Mistake. I shouldn't have said what I said to him.

"What are you doing in the valley of Imladris?" He asks me harshly this time, definitely annoyed by my attitude.

Okay I'm in a weird situation, but honesty is probably the best solution. "The valley of what? Um… You know, I was hiking here. I'm sort of on a hiking trip." I say as I show him my backpack, trying to show I'm telling the truth.

He thinks for a moment then lowers the weapon, probably deciding I'm not much of a threat.

"There is only one way. Lord Elrond will decide what to do with you." He says to me in a less threatening voice this time.

"What? Lord Elrond? Who's Lord Elrond? What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere with you." I start asking him question after question without really thinking. What does he want with me? I can't just trust a weird looking guy and follow him around no matter how much handsome he is. Seriously Freya? In this kind of situation you're really thinking about how handsome a guy who just threatened you with a bow is? But he really is different from any guy I've ever seen. He kinda looks too clean and elegant. STOP IT YOU STUPID BRAIN.

"You are in no situation to talk like that. Now turn around." He says, motioning with his eyes for me to turn around. "Do as I say."

I look at him for one more second before I reluctantly turn around. What is he gonna do? Tie me up or something? I know nothing good is gonna come out of this but I really have no other choice than obeying him. Please God don't let him be a criminal. I feel him move closer to me, then I hear a low voice speak behind me. "I am sorry for this." Something hits the back of my head and pain shots through me. I fall to the ground and everything goes black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I would love to hear your comments and ideas so please tell me what you think.

Love you all :)

Mira

 **Chapter two**

Pain. Pain in my head. That's the first thing I notice when I open my eyes, which makes me remember the weird guy and our conversation. I curse under my breath as I try to sit. Did he really have to hit me?

Where am I? Oh God. What did he do to me? Okay, deep breaths Freya. Don't freak out.

I'm in a bed, a very comfortable one. The room looks like it came right out of a fantasy movie. I've never seen furniture like this in my life. It's all very beautiful, but very different just like that guy in the woods. There's a balcony attached to the room and that's where the light is coming from. It seems to be late in the afternoon but the sun has not set yet. The scenery outside is very otherworldly though. Have I died and come to heaven? I won't be surprised, really cause it's unbelievably beautiful in here. I spot my backpack in the corner of the room and jump out of the bed to get it. Well, let's say I try to jump out of the bed, which I fail at, miserably, since my head starts to spin and I have to sit back down. Then I see my clothes. I'm wearing some long white dress at the moment. And my own clothes are nowhere around the room. Okay I can't really do anything for that in this situation so I decide to change into some of my spare clothes I have in my backpack. I put on my blue jeans and a simple black tank top. It's not exactly cold in here but I feel too exposed and feel the need to cover my arms so I pull out my red checkered shirt and wear it on top of my tank top. I find my boots beside the bed. As I'm tying my shoes getting ready to slip away before anyone notices me, someone coughs from behind me. I immediately turn around, expecting to find the rude blondie who hit me in the head but I see an old man instead. He's wearing a grey robe and has long grey hair and beard. He seems like a Halloween character. Where the hell am I? He smiles at me as I keep staring at him.

"I see you're awake. You must be shocked. Why don't you sit so we can talk?" He says moving to the chair beside the bed and waits for me to sit on the bed. I don't know what should I do but it feels a bit rude not to do as he says so I sit down, keeping my eyes on him. He smiles again.

"Who are you? Where am I? What do you want from me?" I ask him right away since he seems to be waiting for the questions to come.

"I am Gandalf the Grey my child. You do not need to fear me for I will do you no harm. I assure you. As to where you are, you are in Rivendell my dear, in the house of Lord Elrond." The old guy says in a comforting voice.

"Lord Elrond? He said something about this Lord Elrond..." I mutter to myself, trying to remember his exact words. Then I look at this Gandalf the Grey guy and ask hesitantly. "Rivendell you said? I've never heard of Rivendell before."

He smiles at me but doesn't answer my question. He turns toward the door instead. I look that way too and see another elegant looking man with long black hair enters the room. What is it with long hair here? Did I possibly go back to the medieval ages? I hope not. He's slightly older than the blond guy I met in the woods and wears a kind expression. Following right behind him is blondie himself. My eyes go wide when I see him. I raise my hand accusingly and point at him. "You. You hit me."

"I apologize for my action. I thought you might be a spy." He seems a bit uncomfortable.

"Legolas is not at fault my child. He only did what he thought was necessary." Gandalf says from beside me.

Legolas? What a weird name, not that Gandalf and Elrond are normal names either, or anything else here for that matter.

"Welcome to Rivendell. We have been waiting for you young one. I am Elrond Half-elven. What is your name?" The guy with dark hair asks me, walking further into the room.

I go with my honesty policy and decide to tell the truth, besides these guys really don't give me a bad vibe. I can usually feel people's vibes and I've never been once wrong about anyone. It's kind of a gut feeling. If I don't get good vibes from a person at first meeting, I never trust them. This helped me a lot in my past. Thanks to this I always ended up with the good people. My granny used to say it's a gift and only comes to those who have a pure heart. She said God is showing you the way my girl. "Um... Hello sir. I'm Freya. Freya Ellis. Excuse me but what do you mean you were waiting for me?"

"I was informed of your arrival a few days ago Lady Freya, though I am not exactly sure of the purpose. All I was told was that you play an important role in the events of the future."

I'm a bit lost for words. What would you say in this kind of situation? "Um, Mr. Elrond, I have no idea what you're talking about. I just wanna go back to the group and finish my trip, then go back home to my old life. Can you please show me the way out of here?" I ask him, hoping he would understand.

"I am sorry my child, but I do not know how to send you back to your world." Elrond answers my question slowly, as if he's waiting for me to throw a tantrum.

My world? He just said that right? I'm frowning, trying to figure out if he's messing with me. Then the guy in grey robes, Gandalf I think, starts speaking again. "Legolas said you fell out of the sky, am I correct Freya?"

I'm scared. Something obviously happened to me. I can feel it in my gut. I'm lost somewhere far away from home. I try to bite back the terror and answer in a low voice. "I don't know what happened. I was hiking with my group. Then the rain started and I saw this shiny thing. And the next thing I know it swallowed me and..." Each word that comes out of my mouth makes me realize the surreality of the situation.

"Go on child." Gandalf urges me to speak again.

"There was this wind and everything started spinning around me. I felt sick, thought it would never stop. Then I fell." I finish, expecting them to laugh at me but they didn't.

Gandalf sighs. "Well then, that clears my suspicion. You have definitely travelled here by that portal my dear. Although I never heard a human doing so, or any other un-magical being." He turns and gives a meaningful look to Lord Elrond.

"Here? Where is Here? I am surely still in The United States, right?" I ask worried about the answer I'm gonna get.

"United States? No my child. You are in Middle Earth. I am afraid this is a whole new world to you." Gandalf answers me calmly.

I take a deep breath. My premonition was right. I'm no longer in my world. I trust this guy is telling me the truth, instinct I guess. "Why am I here?"

"I was hoping you could tell us that. But it is alright, the Lady of Light will help you find your way Freya. Do not worry." Gandalf smiles kindly at me. "Enough of this talk for now. It is almost time for supper. Why don't you give yourself some time to get used to your surrounding first? There is plenty of time to discover this mystery." He offers as he gets up.

I don't answer. I just sit there motionless. Then the other guy starts talking. Lord Elrond. "You will stay in Rivendell for now Freya. Do not worry, for you are welcome here. I will send someone to lead you to the dining hall in a few minutes." With that he turns and leaves the room, Gandalf following him out the door. I expect the handsome guy to follow them too but he just stands there watching me curiously. I instantly get nervous, not knowing what else to do, I stand up and look at him expectantly. He wants something, right?

"I hope you have forgiven me for my rude behavior earlier my Lady. I did not know if you were a threat or not. Are you alright now?" He asks me with worry in his voice.

I don't know why but I can't stay mad at him any longer. "I'm alright now, thank you. Um... It's ok, no big deal. I understand you had to, I guess." I stutter nervously as he keeps his undivided attention on me.

He comes forward then, smiling. "I believe we have not been properly introduced. I am Legolas Greenleaf from the Woodland Realm. It is nice to make your acquaintance Lady Freya." He reaches his right hand toward me and I do the same, for a handshake of course.

"Um ... Nice to meet you." I say nervously. His eyes don't leave me alone and it makes me super nervous. Ughh I feel like a teenager.

Then he brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles softly. I turn red immediately. I wasn't expecting that. Damn me and my body reaction. Boys always teased me for this. I blush really obviously. And of course Legolas doesn't miss my change of color. The corners of his mouth go up in an amused smile as he lets go of my hand. "Lady Freya." I'm pretty sure there's a twinkle in his eyes as he lowers his head.

"Just Freya is fine. I'm no Lady and it feels weird being called one." I tell him before he walks out of the room. He nods his head in understanding. "Hmm. Only if you would call me Legolas too My Lady." He's teasing me now. I nod my agreement.

And then just when he turns to go I see it. I wonder why I haven't noticed before. His ear. It's pointed. What? I've never seen people with pointy ears. I mean besides in movies and at Halloween. "Oh..." Comes my voice, shocked. Legolas looks at me, raising an eyebrow in my direction in question. I point my hand at his head. "What's that? Um..."

He chuckles at my shocked face, clearly amused. "That would be my ear Freya."

I close my mouth and glare at him a little. "I can see that. I mean why is it... pointed?... Sorry, I don't mean to be rude." I continue a bit embarrassed.

He doesn't seem to mind at all. "I am an Elf Freya. And Elven ears look like this. Did you not know that?"

I frown. Elves. ELVES? He sees my confusion and asks. "Have you never seen an Elf before?"

I open my mouth and then close it again. "ELF...? You're joking, right? ELVES are not real." I choke out the words, still looking at him with wide eyes.

"I see. You must not have Elves in your world then. But I assure you we are very real." He says, coming toward me again and taking my hand, he puts it on his chest as he grins at me. "Do I not feel real to you?"

He does, too real, and I'm suddenly very aware of him. I can feel the vibration in his chest as he chuckles at me. I'm blushing again. Shit.

"Do not over think it. I'm sure you will feel better once Gandalf explains things to you." He lets go of me and with a nod of his head finally leaves the room.

I automatically walk back to the bed and sit down. Portal, traveling to a whole new world, Magic, and now Elves? What else is gonna happen today? Dragons and trolls are real too? It all seems like a fantasy book to me. I always thought myself to be an open-minded person. Damn I was practically waiting for my invitation letter to Hogwarts till I was 14 and I always had this possibility in my mind that all the supernatural things could be real, people just didn't want to accept it since it seemed dangerous, but who knew what could be out there, right? But now that I was faced with it...

My brain Hurts from thinking about all these things. I sigh and lay on the bed, trying to calm down. On the bright side, I was in a friendly environment, not some medieval dungeon. I nod my head to myself. You always wanted an adventure Freya. So here it is. Your very own weird fantastical adventure. You might as well go along with it for now. It's not like there's anything else you can do. I decide that's probably the best approach.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I would love to hear your comments and ideas so please tell me what you think.

 **Chapter 3**

There's a knock at the door and when I look, I see a young beautiful woman with long black hair and pale skin.

"Hello my lady. I am Gliriel. My lord Elrond sent me to help you get ready for supper." She tells me, smiling elegantly at me. I quickly look at her ears. Yup. Pointed. So this woman is also an Elf. I get up, introducing myself, trying to act normal, and normal meaning medievalish here. "Hi, I'm Freya. Nice to meet you."

She eyes my appearance slightly, my clothes generally. "If you would follow me, Lady Freya, we will go to the baths and then I'll lead you to the dining hall." She motions for me to go with her.

I nod my head. Guess I have to play along for now, right? I look at my backpack. "Just a second." I say, moving toward my bag to check something that's been bugging me ever since I woke up in that bed. I pull out my phone, a little scared to actually look at it. I turn the screen on and look for signal. There is none, that's what I feared. I may really not be in my world as these people told me. I put the phone back in the bag, deciding that right now is not the best time to have a panic attack. So I do what I usually do when I'm scared to face something huge, procrastinate. I slowly get up and turn to the elf-woman who's waiting patiently at the door for me. "Sorry. Let's go."

I follow her out of the room. We're in some long hall with beautiful paintings on the walls and statues here and there. In general nothing seems normal here. I try to remember the way but as we take different turns and go down some stairs I give up. There's no way I remember all that. This place, house of Lord Elrond, is huge. In fact I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be called a house.

Gliriel walks without making any sound. It's like her feet don't touch the ground. Is that an elf thing? These guys are too perfect to be real. First the beauty and now gracefulness too? It's not fair. I'm thinking about this, upset that I'm a clumsy girl who practically bumps into the side of walls and doors and every fucking unimaginable thing that happens to be in my way. I pout at that. My granny used to scold me whenever I had one of these accidents and bruised my arm or toe in the process. I miss her. A lot. Like I have this large hole in my chest that refuses to be filled. I'm still thinking about all this when we reach the baths.

Well from the looks of everything in the room I woke up and the halls we just walked to get here, let's say I didn't expect to see showers. I thought it should be something medieval at least. What I see is quiet impressive though. I'm in a large room with different small pools here and there. A few of them are full of steaming water, making the air humid. The whole place smells of flowers. Overall it seems really nice. "Wow. This is impressive. I kind of expected to shower with cold water, not bathe in a Jacuzzi." I tell Gliriel as I look at everything appreciatively.

"The baths are built above natural water springs so we always have warm water. I do not know what a Jacoozee is though Lady Freya." Gliriel says with a smile, pronouncing the foreign word with difficulty.

"Well, you could say they are similar to these pools you have here, only the water is bubbly and it's constantly moving by some… umm force." I try to explain without confusing the girl about technology.

Gliriel nods her head in understanding and comes toward me, putting her hands on my shirt and sliding it off my shoulders gently. I jump back immediately. She doesn't mean anything, I can tell. But it's just embarrassing to let her undress me. "Um.. sorry, I'm not used to… that… I can undress on my own." I try apologetically.

She understand and smiles at me, then turns to face the other way, giving me some privacy to get out of my clothes. "I am sorry. I forgot that your kind has different habits. We Ellets bathe together all the time."

"Ellets?" I ask as I'm getting out of my jeans, putting them with everything else in a dry corner to wear later.

"Female Elves." Gliriel clarifies for me.

I take another look at Gliriel, making sure she's still facing the other way, before taking my underwear off and getting into the pool as fast as I can. "I'm in, Gliriel. You can turn around. Thank you." I call to her when I'm in the water.

She turns and starts explaining the function of the different liquids and oils in the bath to me. Then she starts washing my hair. It's not normal to me but I let her do it. Before long we're speaking comfortably with each other. I ask Gliriel about the supper, feeling nervous that I don't know how I should be behaving there. She assures me there's nothing to worry about and that only a few people will be present.

"May I ask you something Lady Freya?" Gliriel says as she finishes washing my hair.

"Please. Just call me Freya. It feels more natural to me. And of course you may. Go on." I smile at her widely when she nods her head, accepting my request.

"Well, Freya, when Lord Legolas brought you in, you were all soaked and he asked me to change your clothing. I was trying to help, I did not know you would mind it." She looks worried that I may be upset.

"It's alright Gliriel. I don't mind, I'm just not used to it. We don't have these kind of things in my world. Thank you though. I probably would've caught a cold if you didn't." I shrug and motion for her to go on.

"Well I couldn't help but notice that you had some sort of lines on your body? On your stomach?" She finishes asking me.

Oh so that was it, my tattoos. She must've never seen tattoos before. I giggle. "They're not lines Gliriel. That's my Tattoo. It's like… painting on your skin. And it doesn't wash off. It's permanent." I explained to her, covering my breast with my hands and standing up so my upper body was out of the water. She stared at the vine like pattern on the left side of my stomach that started from under my left breast and continued down to my lower stomach.

"It is beautiful, in a strange way." Gliriel finally says after looking closely at the tattoo.

Then I explain how the whole process of tattoos work and Gliriel is horrified when I tell her that it actually hurts, not understanding why anyone would want that if it's painful, but doesn't say anything. I get out and wrap the towel Gliriel hands over to me around myself. I quickly dry off and put my clothes back on. My skin looks pink now after all my scrubbings. I spent three days in the woods without a proper bath so I did need the wash. Gliriel tells me that she can get me a dress. I thank her but I really prefer to be in something comfortable when I'm gonna meet a bunch of new people and I just put these on so they're still clean and fresh. I have some problem with my hair though. Since it's very long, it doesn't dry off quickly and there's no hair drier here, obviously. Gliriel knows what to do. She expertly dries my hair with a towel and starts brushing it with an old looking brush, like those you see in movies. It helps with the drying, she tells me. I guess she's good at this since she has long beautiful hair herself.

"You have really beautiful hair Freya. It is soft to the touch and very long." Gliriel tells me as she runs the brush in my hair repeatedly.

"Thanks Gliriel. My hair is actually the only thing I like about myself." I say shyly as I finger the end of my slightly wavy brown hair that reaches my waist.

"Don't say that Freya. You are an attractive young woman." She scolds me. "And you have those paintings on your body which accentuates your feminine curves. Any man would appreciate that." She adds with a mischievous grin.

"Stop it, Gliriel." I laugh and feel my face flush at her words. She chuckles at my embarrassment. Gliriel seems to be around my age, maybe just a few years older. I already feel like she's my friend. Race difference and all, it doesn't seem we have any communication problems.

Gliriel offers me to arrange my hair then. Hmm, I don't think the elegant braids she's wearing would go well with my jeans and tank top, so she just braids it behind my back, simple but still beautiful. We should be going now or I would be late. That's what Gliriel tells me. I'm nervous, like really really nervous. I'm not good with crowds, let alone crowds full of strangers.

As we walk to the dining hall I'm totally silent. Gliriel chuckles beside me and takes my hand in an attempt to comfort me. "Breathe Freya. They are not going to eat you. And besides, you have already met Lord Elrond and Gandalf the Grey. And Lord Legolas was also the one who found you. You know them. It will be fine."

I try to smile. We reach the hall too early for my liking. And on top of that Gliriel leaves me there, saying she has to go for her duties but wishes for me to enjoy the night. I wave at her as she walks away from me. Okay stop it Freya, you're not a child. Just walk in there and say hi. Come on. And I do just that. I take a deep breath and walk into the room. It's not exactly a hall. It seems like a big open room with the view of a beautiful garden. Somehow it is in the garden itself. A long table in the middle and the strangest crowd I have ever seen sitting around it. I spot Legolas's blond hair immediately, then I see Gandalf, sitting beside Lord Elrond who is at the head of the table. Before I can inspect the crowd anymore, two young men, no, elves, apparently twins, appear out of nowhere beside me. They are quiet handsome and resemble Lord Elrond himself. His sons, probably?

"My Lady. Welcome to Rivendell. I am Elladan and this is my brother Elrohir. It is nice to meet you." Says one of them. Then they each take one of my hands and kiss it just like Legolas did. I'm more prepared this time and only blush slightly.

"Hello, I'm Freya. It's nice to meet you too." I repeat my line automatically as I give them a smile. Then Elrohir offers me his arm. I look at it stupidly for a second before mentally kicking myself and force myself to take it and then we all move to the table. I feel so out of place. Lord Elrond gives me a smile, bringing one hand up, he asks for silence. Everybody stops talking and then all the eyes are on me.

"My dear friends, this is Lady Freya. She comes from a faraway land and she will be my guest here in Rivendell." Elrond motions toward me with his hand.

I wave a hand in the general direction of everyone and try to say something. "Um… Hello. Nice to meet you." I say in a low voice, feeling the pressure of their looks on me.

"Try not to suffocate her with your questions." Lord Elrond says to the crowd with a playful tone. Then he turns to me. "Have a sit and enjoy your dinner Freya. We will talk afterwards."

Gandalf pats the sit beside him which is empty. I nod my head toward the twins before I walk away and I go to Gandalf, happy to sit with someone I saw before. As soon as I sit down I visibly relax a bit. Gandalf notices that and pats my back kindly.

"Feeling better Freya?" He asks. I nod and smile back.

During the dinner Gandalf introduces me to the people around me one by one. I meet Arwen, Lord Elrond's beautiful daughter, who I feel inappropriate in her presence. She looks like royalty to me, but she's very kind. Aragorn is the man sitting beside her. He seems a bit disheveled but proves to be a real gentleman, the kind of guy who strikes you as those father figures, who never seem to do anything wrong. There are four little people at the table. At first glance I thought they're just small boys but then I looked closer at one of them and I swear he was more than a hundred years old. Gandalf introduces him as Bilbo Baggins. A hobbit. Yeah, he wasn't just a short person. He was from a whole different race. Bilbo is very curious and he keeps asking me about how I got here. He's so excited he seems to jump in his sit as I retell the story of my painful arrival in the woods. I'm intrigued with this hobbit people. The other three look just as absolutely adorable. Merry and Pippin are quiet young and energetic. Sam, the other one seems more silent. He's also small like his friends but I thought to myself that he's probably older than me. I find out that Sam's quietness is because his friend is sick and at the healing wards at them moment. Poor guy. I tell him that I hope his friend would get better soon and he gives me an appreciative smile.

I already met Elladan and Elrohir, so the only person left is Legolas, who is sitting in front of me and needs no introduction really. Something about him is different from the others. I can't pinpoint what it is. I studied him during the dinner and still don't know what it was. Maybe it's his eyes. It feels like they see everything. Blue orbs staring right through you. Wait a minute. Blue. I see too much blue. Those VERY BLUE ORBS are staring at me right now. I zoom out and…SHIT. Legolas is staring at me with a raised eyebrow, his expression showing nothing but amusement. I flush red and drop my eyes to my plate, coughing to hide my embarrassment. He caught me staring at him. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? No one else notices what happens between us. At least I have some luck on my side. I don't raise my head from my plate for the rest of the night, scared to look anywhere close to where the blond elf is sitting.

After dinner people leave the room one by one, thanking Lord Elrond for his hospitality. I guess it's time for that talk we were supposed to have. We follow Lord Elrond to his study. That room is my dream-come-true. Big old books cover the walls and comfortable chairs are here and there, inviting you to sit and enjoy a lazy afternoon, reading and reading and reading. I guess the look on my face is self-explanatory since both Gandalf and Elrond laugh.

"You may want to know Freya that Rivendell has the largest library in all Middle Earth. If you like books so much, you may visit the library as often as you like. Most of our books are written in Elvish but we have a large collection of books in the common tongue as well." Lord Elrond says that, clearly enjoying the fact that I love books.

"That's amazing. Thank you, Mr. El… I mean, Lord Elrond." I answer with a huge grin on my face. I mean I jump at every opportunity to read something interesting, and books from another world with magical races like Elves and hobbits were definitely my definition of interesting.

After we all sit, Gandalf starts talking. "Well I suppose we can start by telling you about different races we have on middle earth. Legolas told me earlier that you never saw an elf before you come here."

"Yeah, that was a shock. I saw his ears." I say in a quiet voice. That reminds me. I already know Elrond and his children are elves since their ears are all visible. But I wasn't sure about Gandalf. I couldn't see his ears at all. They were covered by his hair. "Mr. Gandalf, are you an elf too? I'm sorry I don't know if I'm being rude or not asking about this." I ask and then add apologetically. I don't know if this race thing is a sore subject in this world or not but I wanna be careful, just in case.

Gandalf smiles at me. "It's quite alright to ask my child. I am not an elf though. But tell me about your world."

"Well… in my world we have just humans. Nothing else." I answer him.

"So we could start with this then." Gandalf says and then gives me a long lecture about races and their homes, cities and habits. Asking me questions in between about my life and where I'm from.

Hours later I have been told briefly of Middle Earth and some important parts of its ancient history. Lord Elrond showed me maps of different realms and then some more. I now knew that not only there were Men, Elves and Hobbits but also Dwarves and wizards too. To my absolute shock Gandalf was himself a wizard or an Istar. He was from the race of Maia. I was most excited about the magic part since I always was intrigued by the topic. I knew magic existed somewhere. I wish I had some too but Gandalf tells me that humans do not possess magic. Hmm that's a bit disappointing. Elrond and Gandalf don't go into details about anything. They just briefly mention the things they think, is necessary knowledge.

As they move on to tell me about this Dark Lord and the war that happened ages ago, I start to yawn, trying to hide it with my hand. But they both notice and tell me it has been enough for now and we could continue later. So I stand up and say goodnight to both of my lecturers and walk out of the room. I can hear them speaking in that musical language to each other as I leave. To my surprise Gliriel is waiting for me outside the study. I go to her happily and we start walking back to the room that is now my bedroom as Gliriel says. I talk about the events of the night with my newly found elven friend till we get to the room. I leave out the Legolas part though, and save myself from more embarrassment. When we reach the room Gliriel wishes me a goodnight and leaves.

As soon as I see the inviting bed in the middle of the room I feel how much tired I am. So I quickly change into the long dress that's been left on the bed and jump between the sheets. My body's shutting itself down as I close my eyes.

What a day. Who would believe that this very morning I was on a hiking trip with a group of normal human beings and now I'm sleeping in a city of elves surrounded by hobbits, wizards, men and well elves. Honestly I don't believe that myself. Half of me expects to wake up tomorrow in a hospital in the city, but I dismiss the thought as soon as it comes to me. I don't need that kind of thing tonight. I shift a bit on the sheets, trying to find an even more comfortable spot, emptying my head. Whatever it is I will find out in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support. It gives me more energy to go on. Well to answer your questions, the council will happen soon. In the next chapter actually. And Legolas came to Rivendell a bit earlier than the other representors in my story. I'll be moving quicker from now on.

Again sorry if anything sounds unnatural in my writing. English is not my first language but I'll try to improve as I go on.

Comments and ideas are appreciated so don't feel shy and tell me what you think. ;)

Mira

 **Chapter Four**

Well I didn't wake up in any hospital today. That's the good bit. But I did wake up in the same bright room as yesterday. Looks like this thing is real after all. Am I gonna live here from now on? What about Tina? Is she worried? And my boss? What happens to my life if I don't ever go back? Tina is the most important part to me. She's my only friend back home and if I just disappear into thin air… Would she think I had an accident on my trip and died? Probably. Tears come to my eyes at the thought of not seeing her again. I want to go back under the soft blankets and sleep some more till everything goes away, but the room is sooo bright that I can't even consider that option. So I just drag myself out of bed, groaning at the impossible light coming through the balcony door. After I freshen up for the morning, I throw the doors to the small balcony open and breathe in the fresh morning air. Too clean. The air must have zero pollution here. I guess this world is still far from industrial revolution. Good for them but how am I gonna live without internet? Music? TV? Electricity? Anything?

Beside from my whiny mood in the morning, everything else here seems to be near damn perfect. The scenery is breath taking, like a very expensive beautiful piece of art in front of my eyes. Well I'm actually standing in the said piece of art wearing my casual, very out of this world clothing. The thought makes me giggle to myself like an idiot.

"Freya, good morning. I just came to wake you up for breakfast." Comes the musical voice of Gliriel from behind me.

"Hey, good morning. I couldn't sleep anymore with all this stubborn light trying to find its way into my poor eyelids anyway, so I figured I might as well get up." I answer back to her, rolling my eyes jokingly. She seems to find my words amusing. It's gonna get a while for me to get used to the polite, proper speech these guys use. I mean I'm not rude or anything, I guess, I don't swear that much.

The breakfast is very good. Everything fresh. If they had coffee and bacon too then I wouldn't ask for anything else. Unlike last night, there's no one at the table this morning. I wonder why and Gliriel tells me that everybody else had already broke their fast. Seriously? I mean it's still very early. Did they get up before sunrise? Come on. After hearing that I probably slept in, I finish my breakfast in a hurry and get ready to leave before anyone catches me red-handed and laugh at me. Gliriel assures me that no one would do such a thing but still I get out of there.

Then Gliriel takes me on a tour of Rivendell. "Everybody else is occupied at the moment, Gandalf the Grey asked me to show you around here so you would feel more at home." Gliriel tells me as we walk in the garden. Rivendell is the most charming place I've ever seen. That's a fact. I can't even begin to describe it. Elegant beautiful elves walk here and there, going about their business, not that I know what they do actually. The whole experience is alien to me but I enjoy it very much. Gliriel is an excellent tour guide. She explains everything to me with an unlimited patience. I feel comfortable around her. So much that sometimes I forget she's an elf and crack jokes at her like I used to with Tina. And then she looks at me with these wide, curious eyes as I try to explain things that are unknown to her.

"Gliriel, Lord Elrond mentioned a library last night. He said I could go there and read if I want. Can we go there next?" I ask her, wondering if it's alright. I can't wait a second longer. I need to google these guys as fast as I can, or I would go crazy. And well since googling is not an option at the moment, I go with the next best thing, books. There's so much I don't know about my surroundings and it makes me uncomfortable somehow.

"Oh, of course. I was actually planning to take you there. Lord Elrond instructed me to give you a few books to read in your free time. He said you would probably enjoy it." She smiles and leads me to a different path. "You enjoy reading?" Gliriel asks.

I chuckle a bit at her question. No one ever asks me that since it's such an obvious fact. I mean I always carry around at least two books and my laptop with me. And I work in a LIBRARY. "Well yeah. I read books from a very young age. I actually have my own collection of books back home, which is my most precious possession. And on top of all that I work in a big library too. Well, I guess I used to."

"Then you will like our library too Freya. I am certain."

I am ready to be impressed. But when I walk in there, my eyes go wide. OMG. MEDIEVAL LIBRARY. Thousands and thousands of big wooden shelves stand tall in the room. And the books, the books are OLD. So freaking old, they should be in a restricted section. And they are all hand written. OH GOD. After my initial shock passes, I follow Gliriel to the common tongue section of the library. Gliriel goes to get me the book Elrond instructed for me and I start reading the titles. The habitants of Middle Earth. History of the first age. Rivers, mountains and towns in middle earth. Gondorian Households. Dwarf mines. Halls of the Rohirrim. Hobbits and their lands. Medicinal Herbs. Jewels and stones and their properties. A record of the wars in Middle Earth. Elves and their cities. Elven Craft. Elven Medicine. The languages of Elves. And so so many other titles. By the time Gliriel comes back I have already picked up four books from the shelves. She stares at me and the books I'm clutching to my chest in wonder. "Do you intend to read them all at once Freya?" She asks, chuckling at me before handing me the book she brought. A very short history of Middle Earth. She puts it on top of the pile of books in my hand.

I read the title out loud. "A VERY short history of Middle Earth huh? Why, couldn't you bring me a more comprehensive version of it? VERY SHORT?" I say as I laugh hard, looking at the thick book Elrond has prescribed me. Gliriel laughs too. "Well it's good you like reading I guess." She tells me as I move toward a small table in a corner to put my five books on.

"I should start doing my homework then. Thanks Gliriel." I sit and open the VERY SHORT history book.

"I shall leave you to it then. I will see you later Freya." Gliriel waves her hand at me and leaves me to my homework then.

Ok I can't obviously read these cover to cover, so I decide to read a little bit of each to satisfy my curiosity first. I start with the habitants of middle earth book. Skipping through pages and only reading specific description I think would prove helpful to me. Now I know a sufficient amount of facts about Men, Elves, Hobbits and Dwarves of middle earth. I can't seem to find anything about the wizards in this book so I guess maybe they're not habitants of here. I should ask Gandalf about that. Now that I've done a bit of what I wanted to do, I move to the homework bit. Remembering the talk in the study last night I quickly go to the section concerning a Dark Lord and his failed attempt to dominant this world. They were gonna tell me about this when I got sleepy. So I start from there, feeling that whatever happened before 3000 years back in history could be left alone for a later reading sessions when I have more time. I skip parts here and there about details and details as I read. The main dominance scheme started with something about rings of power.

It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of men. Who above all else, desire power.

For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived. For another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master Ring to control all others and into this Ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all.

Ok I have goosebumps all over me now. It's creepy. I skip a few pages of description about how everyone accepted the rings and all, till I reached the part about the fall of the free folk of middle earth. I can't believe this beautiful place was so chaotic and close to destruction back then. It's hard to imagine war, since I've never been directly involved in any. I always hear of it happening somewhere else but never felt it really. I continue reading, curious to know what changed the tides of the war.

One by one the free lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Elves and Men marched against the armies of Mordor. And on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth.

Eventually when everything seemed lost, Isildur, the king's son, cuts the ring off Sauron's finger somehow and the war is over. I don't understand how a ring can make anyone invincible. It's just a ring isn't it? I mean I know it was magical and evil but I don't comprehend it exactly.

Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur.

It must be joking. He couldn't have kept it right? I mean after his father and many other died in the war, he kept it? Ughh what an ass. It's evil. I'm thinking of the creepy evil ring when something grasps my shoulder. I almost shriek in panic, still absorbed in the terrible descriptions of the book.

"My apologies, Lady Freya. I did not mean to frighten you." The scruffy gentleman from last night, Aragorn says, holding his hands in the air.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Aragorn. Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff and I kinda freaked out." I say, closing the book. I felt like something evil was watching me through it. Stupid, I know.

Aragorn nods his head in understanding. "You did not show up for the meal?"

The meal? As in lunch? When did that happen? I have no idea how much time has passed since my wrist watch doesn't work here and I don't see anything resembling a clock in here. I guess I lost track of time while reading the book. "Sorry. You see, there's no clock in here. I mean … I couldn't tell what time it is." I say quickly looking out the window. Hmm it definitely looked around 5 or 6 in the afternoon.

"Well I should inform you that there would be a feast tonight. We have newcomers." He tells me smiling gently.

Newcomers? Important people maybe. Lord Elrond is throwing a party… I mean a feast. I thank Aragorn and decide to get more information out of my friend. I mean women understand the concept of gossip, right? No matter what race they're from. It takes a while to get to my room. I was sure I learned the way this morning. But I missed a turn or something and ended up going in circles before finding my way back.

So what should one wear to a feast? The fanciest thing I packed for my trip is my skinny jeans and cute tank tops. I pull them out and lay them on the bed.

"There you are Freya. Where you in the library until now?" Gliriel walks in.

"Yeah, I kinda forgot everything else. Aragorn just told me there's this feast thing and I ran back here. What's going on? Who are these newcomers?" I speak quickly and pull Gliriel toward the bed, sitting down.

"Oh you don't know. Frodo just woke up." Gliriel says, genuinely happy.

"Frodo? The hobbit?" I ask remembering Sam telling me about his sick friend.

"Yes. And the newcomers are guests from other races. There is going to be a council tomorrow morning as far as I know. I do not know what it is about though. But Lord Elrond is holding a feast both to welcome these guests and Frodo." Gliriel finishes and looks at my clothes displayed on the bed with confusion. "What are these Freya?"

"I'm pretty sure they look like clothes Gliriel. I thought I should wear something more feast-like for tonight." I shrug.

"You cannot wear trousers at a feast Freya. You will be wearing this." Gliriel looks at me as if I'm crazy. Uh hum. I get it. Medieval. These guys are afraid of female's body, specially when it's in a trouser.

Gliriel then stands up and asks me to undress. I need her help wearing that dress anyway, so I just obey her this time. The mentioned dress is blue and strangely soft. Too soft actually. I feel naked in it. But also amazingly beautiful. It falls to my feet and has long sleeves that have too much cloth for being a sleeve. Gliriel pulls the strings on the back as I fidget around, excited. She looks at me up and down and smiles. "It fits perfectly Freya. Blue looks good on you. Now for your hair."

When she's done with me, I feel embarrassed a bit. I'm not a dress kind of girl. And I'm definitely not the most graceful either. Gliriel will not have any of my talk though and immediately starts talking about the guests to distract me. Which works I might add. I want to see Frodo. And Dwarves will be here tonight. That's a new addition to my unbelievable experiences here. So I just walk beside Gliriel excitedly as she takes me to the feast, my insecurities forgotten. This place is beginning to grow on me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support.

Comments and ideas are appreciated so don't feel shy and tell me what you think. ;)

Mira

 **Chapter Five**

The feast last night went quiet well. I had Gliriel with me and that meant more confidence. And I realized wearing the dress helped a lot. People acted more comfortably with me. I didn't talk to any of the newcomers. The dwarves whom I was very eager to see, looked much like my imagination. Short and stout with a lot of hair. They were a tad bit taller than hobbits and looked tough and strong. When I say they had a lot of hair I don't mean like just long hair, I mean thick braided hair and beards that covered almost all their face. I really wanted to get to know them but all of them seemed wary and closed off. Gliriel told me it's because Dwarves and Elves don't exactly get along. Racism huh? Really? I didn't expect to see that kind of thing in a fantasy world. But I'm not in a fantasy world. This one is as real as the one I came from, with all its good and bad stuff. The men, my own kind, were not very talkative either. They talked and laughed among themselves. So I stayed with Gliriel and my new favorite friends, the hobbits, all night, eating and laughing. They seemed a lot happier now that Frodo was awake.

I stop my train of thoughts as someone knocks on the door.

"Lady Freya, you have been summoned to Lord Elrond's council. It would begin any minute. Please follow me." A dark haired elf guy says politely.

Council? As in the secret one Gliriel told me about? I thought it was just for the elders and representors. I frown, confused. Well I can't disobey Lord Elrond exactly. He's been very kind to me in the last two days. So I should just go.

I follow my guide to a circle like platform outdoors. People are already sitting in the chairs. Gandalf spots me immediately and calls me to go sit by him. Frodo is there too. I smile at him and sit between Gandalf and an elf. When I look around everybody's staring at me. Well mostly the newcomers. They look shocked and confused. Gandalf is chuckling at my annoyed face. "Do not take it too seriously Freya, my child. They are not used to seeing women attending councils. And you're choice of clothes is not the most common in middle earth."

I look at my jeans. I understand. They're probably afraid to see a woman in pants. But it's still ridiculous. Elves are much more polite. Even if they're shocked at my appearance, they're hiding it expertly. Just then Lord Elrond stands and starts talking.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He looks around seriously.

As far as I knew all was not well in middle earth. Gandalf briefly told me of this coming war last night. The weapon of the enemy has been found. Another dark age was coming and we must do whatever we could to stop it. Yes, he said we. As in ME included. My luck is just so damn perfect. I couldn't go to an alien peaceful world. I had to come to one that was about to be shredded to bloody pieces. I don't know how but the wizard seems more mysterious by day. I don't know why I still trust him. My heart tells me I should. No other logical explanation. So I just sit there looking at Lord Elrond. He turns and gestures to Frodo.

"Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

Frodo? As in cute hobbit Frodo? Oh God. I could've never known. Frodo stands and walks to the middle of the circle and puts the ring down on the stone plinth. All attentions go to the small shiny thing in the middle of the circle. Everybody seems to shift uncomfortably and focus on the ring. I look from the ring to the crowd and back to the ring. What's so interesting? It's weird. I try again to find something fascinating about the piece of jewelry but it remains just a piece of jewelry. Hmm. Then Gandalf looks at me from the corner of his eye, suspiciously. I raise one eyebrow at him in question but he just turns the other way and monitors the others. Just then a tall man from the other side of the circle stands up and starts talking.

"In a dream I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. In the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying. Your doom is near at hand." The gondiran man says, walking closer to the ring with each sentence. He was acting a bit off. "Isildur's bane is 's Bane…" He reaches forward with his left hand.

"Boromir." Elrond warns him.

Then something happens that makes my heart stop for a second and then beats like crazy. Gandalf stands up and starts talking in this harsh tongue. The bright sky of Rivendell suddenly goes dark and everyone seems terrified of the wizard. A dwarf shouts, grabbing his axe. The elves all flinch as if they're in some sort of mental pain. I don't understand what Gandalf says but whatever it is, it makes my skin crawl. It can't be anything good. It's all over in a few seconds and the sky clears out. The Boromir guy sits back down, a little frightened. My poor heart. I almost had a heart attack. I put my hand to my chest, telling my heart to stop being so loud. I'm pretty sure I just saw magic. Terrifying dangerous magic. The kind old man who always gives me smiles seemed very powerful and dangerous now. I remind myself not to get on his bad side.

"Never before has anyone uttered words of that tongue here in Imladris." Elrond sounds royally pissed.

"I do not ask your pardon Master Elrond for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West." Gandalf turns around to look at everyone there. Giving a blaming look to the gondorian man. "The Ring is altogether evil." He turns back to sit beside me.

"Aye it is a gift!" Boromir again. Oh this is getting annoying. "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against him." This guy is out of it. Who would want to use an evil ring that's trying to kill everyone?

"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master." Aragorn reasons with him.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" Boromir answers back. Ok, not cool. That's very rude.

Legolas jumps out of his chair, angry. "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." He manages to say that in a soft tone and yet still look angry. I don't get how. Wait. What did he mean you owe him your allegiance?

"Aragorn! This.. is Isildur's heir?" Boromir says in wonder.

What? Isildur's…

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas says.

Oh. How did I not know that? I talked to him casually several times already. He was a KING? Frodo is as shocked as I am.

 _"Sit down, Legolas."_ Says Aragorn in that melodic language. I only hear the word Legolas in it. Too bad there's no google here. I feel crippled without it.

After a bit more talking, Elrond announces that the ring must be destroyed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" A dwarf, the same one that shouted earlier says that. I like this guy immediately. He walks to the ring and brings his axe down on it. I hear a loud noise and close my eyes. When I look again the dwarf is thrown onto the floor, his axe blade shattered. But the Ring looks absolutely fine.

Elrond explains the impossibility of the damn thing being destroyed by any weapon here and says it should be taken to Mordor and be destroyed there. One of us should do it. One of them I guess. I still don't get the importance of my presence at this council.

Boromir breaks the silence. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the great eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly." What he says is quiet creepy. I admit. Whoever's going to take this task must be very brave.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed." Legolas says and I sigh. I'm pretty sure a fight is coming.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it." Gimli, the dwarf guy, says to Legolas. Oh perfect, add racism to that. Like the situation is not bad enough already.

"And if we fail what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir says that. I look at Gandalf. He shakes his head and sighs.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf." Gimli continues his previous comment, apparently not willing to drop it.

And that does it. Every elf and dwarf jump up and start shouting insults at the other race. Men argue among them just as fiercely. I watch with raised eyebrows. They're already fighting because of the ring. It's seems like a dark foreshadow in a tragedy to me. Gandalf is among the crowd, trying to knock some sense into their heads. I turn to Frodo. But he's not in his seat.

"I will take it. I will take it. I will take the Ring to Mordor." The little guy says with courage. I look at him in horror. It's too dangerous. And he's a hobbit. Not a mighty warrior. What is he thinking?

"Though, I do not know the way." He continues a bit embarrassed. All the people in the room who were shouting at each other like high school boys feel a bit ashamed in front of the little hobbit guy.

Gandalf is the first one who joins Frodo, saying he would help him bear this burden. As expected Aragorn offers his sword next. In less than a minute, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir are standing beside Frodo as well. Each going as the representor of their race. Elrond seems pleased. Then the young hobbits show up saying they will not separate from Frodo. Loyal. I know I should feel proud of them but I feel unimaginably sad. We were just becoming friends and everyone was going to leave now. Even Legolas. Not that he's any different of course. Ehem. I sigh. Gandalf turns and smiles at me then. "And there is one more addition to our group." He looks at me as if I've hid their tenth member in my pocket. I look at him with a slight frown, waiting for him to go on. Beside Gandalf and Elrond who are both satisfied with their achievements in this meeting, everyone else looks completely confused.

"Freya. You will also be traveling with the Fellowship." Lord Elrond says, giving me a reassuring smile.

SAY WHAT?


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support.

Comments and ideas are appreciated so don't feel shy and tell me what you think. ;)

Mira

 **Chapter Six**

It's been a week since Lord Elrond told me I should go with the fellowship. For a while I thought he wanted to get rid of me. I was upset. A lot. But then again it was natural. I am an unwanted guest in his house after all. He has every right to send me away. Then he talked to me in private. He explained how my arrival has been expected by this Lady of Light, another Elf. According to Lord Elrond, she was the only one who could help me. Tell me why I ended up here. So I needed to go to Lothlorien to meet her. And apparently I had a duty. He didn't know what it was of course. I had no clue either. I'm just a normal girl with zero fighting abilities. The only thing I'm slightly good at is books. I'm not sure if that's even a skill. And most of the knowledge I have from it, is useless here anyway. How am I gonna help in this war? Read Sauron and his evil army a bunch of books and bore them to death?

I had no other choice but to go along with the choice that's been made for me, so I quit nagging after the first few days. Tried to look at it as another adventure. Don't think about the unnecessary stuff Freya. The danger and Mordor and that terrifying god damned eye there. I kept telling myself that. On the bright side I was gonna go with friends. Gandalf, Aragorn and the hobbits. I like to say I consider Legolas a friend too but I'm not very sure yet. He's quiet and most of the times not around at all. He spends time patrolling the woods with Arwen's brothers most days. And the rest of the times he's practicing in the training grounds or chatting with Aragorn. Gimli and Boromir don't interact with us much either. In fact Boromir was very against the idea of me joining their fellowship. He looked at me with disdain and suspicion and said no one takes a woman on these kinds of journeys. And that he would not trust a strange woman from another land.

It was actually like this. Three days ago, Lord Elrond called the members of this newly formed Fellowship to another council. I sat there without looking anybody in the eyes. I felt unwanted by most of them. Even Aragorn seemed to not like this new arrangement. The hobbits were my only supporters actually, specially Merry and Pippin.

At first they were talking about the routes and supplies and how to avoid dangerous paths. Then Boromir started complaining about me. He doesn't like me. That's obvious. He didn't even address me as he counted the reasons why they can't take a woman with themselves. It wasn't like I volunteered to go. I just had to. Gandalf kept defending me, saying he must accompany me to Lothlorien himself and there's no other way. Seeing the finality of Gandalf's words, the man finally gave up. No one else said anything about me that day. But I was angry. Gandalf didn't let me talk back to Boromir so I was exploding with unsaid comebacks and that pissed me off. They were looking down on me just because I'm a girl. The hobbits couldn't fight either and no one complained about them. It just wasn't fair.

For four days now I've been preparing for the journey ahead. I channeled my anger into working hard to get better. I had nothing else to do anyway. I talked to Gliriel about this, wanting to know if there's any way I can train without anyone from the fellowship, specially that Boromir guy, knowing. And so she gave me the best solution ever. Her childhood friend, Thandir, was a member of the guard and more than willing to help.

That's how I'm right now in the middle of the woods with Thandir.

"You are getting better Freya. You don't drop the sword as much as you did before." Thandir says, smirking at my sweaty form on the ground. I groan and roll around, grabbing my sword again.

"It feels like I'm losing my arms." I pant as I stand up to face him again.

"It's only natural. Your arm has no strength to keep up with a sword fight yet. It will take time." He says.

Elves and their bluntness. I chuckle at his words. "You can't help it can you Thandir? You just have to be painfully honest. You Elves."

He laughs, shaking his head at me and then takes position again. He looks just like he did two hours ago when we started practicing, not a single hair out of place. And I'm standing here panting like I've just ran a marathon, with my hair… well let's just not say how my hair looks like at the moment.

Since my goal was to not be a burden to my companions, I asked Thandir to teach me defensive moves for now. I kinda think it would be impossible for me to plunge a sword into any living flesh. In fact I don't think I'll get there at all. So our sessions would mostly go as Thandir attacking me with slow blows and me trying to block him as fast as I can move this sword. The first time I held the blade, I was extremely happy. It was quiet light. Maybe three or four pounds at most. It was the same weight as a very light dumbbell in gym. I couldn't be more wrong. A dumbbell is not this long and you don't have to keep it balanced in front of you for a long time. In twenty minutes my arms were burning and I couldn't bring the sword up at all.

"Keep strength in your feet Freya. That's the only way to keep your balance or you would fall down every time." Thandir said as he attacked, pushing me a step back each time our blade clashed. As if on cue I just fell down on my ass once more as he finished talking.

"Yup. I'll keep that in mind." I say getting up and brushing the dust off my clothes for the hundredth time this morning. Just then Thandir goes stiff and turns around fast with a raised sword, examining the trees. I look around too. There must be something in the trees out there but I don't see anything.

 _"Greetings, Lord Legolas."_ Thandir speaks to the trees in front of us, lowering his weapon quickly.

Did he say Legolas? Before I can move a muscle or try to hide the sword in my hand, the familiar handsome figure walks into the view. Looking as perfect as ever.

 _"Greetings, Thandir, my friend."_ Legolas says calmly. _"I see you have taken a student."_ He continues, grinning as he looks at me with a glint in his eyes, nodding his head in greeting. Unfortunately I don't understand a word of it. It involved me and the sword I guess. I shift uncomfortably under his gaze, waving a hand at him.

 _"Yes. Freya wanted to be ready before setting out on the journey. She asked me to teach her how to defend herself."_ What Thandir says definitely involved me. Can't they talk in a language I understand too? I should really do something about this.

Legolas walks toward me then. _"Is that so?"_ He asks me in his melodic voice, knowing too well that I don't understand. I frown a bit. "What?"

"Thandir, Elladan was looking for you. He's patrolling the western road at the moment. Why don't you go and find him? I'll escort Lady Freya back to Rivendell myself." Legolas says, looking at Thandir.

"Oh thank you Lord Legolas. I shall go immediately then." Thandir smiles, sheaths his sword and gets ready to leave. "Freya, good job today. I apologize, I have to go on duty. Let your muscles rest for a day. We shall practice again the day after tomorrow." He grabs my shoulder and smiles down at me.

"Thank you Thandir. It's alright, I understand. I'm the one taking your time here, you know? And besides I can't move my arms any more so it's all cool." I say grinning at him.

Thandir leaves with that and in a second, I'm standing in the woods with the blond elf once more. I sheath my sword and turn to Legolas. He's looking at me up and down again. I start chuckling. Legolas raises an eyebrow at me in question.

"Sorry. It's just that I remembered the last time I was in the woods with you. I was wondering if you're gonna knock me out again. Am I safe with you now or should I look out?" I answer his silent question with a grin on my face.

He smiles then, his features soften slightly at my words. "You are quiet safe with me Freya. That won't be happening again." He walks closer to me and examines the sword in my hand carefully. "A good sword. Perfect match for you. Tell me Freya, why do you want to learn swordsmanship? You didn't say anything before."

Well, looks like it's a bit late to try to hide my intentions at this stage so I just give up and tell him the truth. I sigh. "Well, I thought I should learn to defend myself while I have the time. I know this quest is important and Frodo's safety is the number one priority. I don't want to be a burden to anyone." I admit a little hesitantly.

"You're not a burden. Stop thinking that. Gandalf knows best and if he says you should come with us, then you should." He gives me a scolding look before quickly moving on. "Anyway it's good that you want to learn to fight. Hopefully you will not need use of it through our travel. That's why we are there." He finishes and gestures for me to walk with him.

We start walking to the path back to Rivendell. I look at him from the corner of my eye. It didn't look like he was against me traveling with the fellowship. It was the first time he said anything about it. I guess I was wrong assuming that he wouldn't want me to go.

"Well, Boromir obviously made it clear that he's not willing to help protecting a woman, so I decided I might as well do something about it on my own." I say, setting my jaw with determination. I was still pissed at being treated like a child.

Legolas seems to find my words amusing, his eyes turning playful. "Hmm, is that so? Well I guess I'll be the one taking care of you then." He smirks.

God. Why is this man so fucking attractive? And why is he smirking at me like that? I blush and look away. I hear him chuckle beside me, clearly having fun teasing me. After a few moments of walking in silence, and me getting rid of my stupid blush, Legolas starts talking again. "So, why swords? Do you have a particular interest in melee combat?"

"Melee combat? God, no. Honestly I don't think I can cut anything with a sword. I just want to avoid being cut and I thought sword is basic." I say the last part more like a question, not sure if I'm right.

"How about archery? Have you considered that? It may be easier for you to shoot an orc from afar than trying to kill him with a sword." He suggests.

"Archery? Oh, I'm not sure… It actually seems harder and I don't think I fit archery very well." I say nervously.

"That's not true. If you practice enough, you will learn just fine. Beside, using a bow is much safer for you." He says seriously. I think about it. He's probably right. I heard he's one of the best archers of middle earth himself. He definitely knows more than I do.

"You're right. It's safer. But Thandir said he can't teach me archery. It's not his main weapon. So it's not an option." I say and turn to look at him. He's looking at me as if I just said the most stupid thing in the world.

"Freya. I meant, I can teach you."

Oh. Was he serious? He wanted to teach me? My heart sped up a bit. Stupid heart. He's just being kind with me. Like… Gandalf. Yes. Like that. "Really? I thought… I mean… I know you're a great archer and all but… I can't bother you with this."

"I wouldn't have offered you if it was a bother." He says.

"But Thandir… um." I mumble. Legolas frowns.

"Thandir? Is he the only one you're willing to learn from? I didn't realize you were that close." He says, not sounding pleased at all.

What? I don't get it. "No… No it's not that." I answer, confused. "Ok. You know what? I really love to learn archery from you. If you're not busy or anything." I decide it's better to just say what I wanna say.

He smiles once more, wiping away the frown from his beautiful face. "Good. Then we can start tomorrow morning."

We reach the gates of Rivendell a few minutes later. Legolas stops after we enter through the gates and turns toward me completely. "Alright. I should take my leave now. I'll meet you tomorrow after breakfast." I nod.

"Thank you for walking me back Legolas."

He nods and turns to leave then, but before getting too far he turns around and says: "You may want to rest Freya. You're going to need your energy tomorrow." He grins.

Uh oh. Okay. Tough teacher huh? Hmm, I might have decided too rashly. He's not gonna take it too hard on me on my first day, is he? I guess that's what you expect from one of the best archers alive. I start walking to the baths, deciding the only thing I can do for now is soothing my poor muscles with hot water. I can worry about Legolas working me to death later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support.

Comments and ideas are appreciated so don't feel shy and tell me what you think. ;)

Mira

 **Chapter Seven**

"So now that you know your archery equipment. Let us start working on the posture." Legolas says.

I look at the items he's brought me to practice with. A normal wooden bow, a quiver full of arrows, leather armguard and a strange glove. He picks up the armguard from the ground. "Give me your left hand." Legolas says, standing tall in front of me.

I try to pay attention to his instructions instead of staring at his face as he takes my hand. I really do but the guy is DISTRACTING and a physical archery lesson doesn't help my cause at all. I get frustrated being the only one feeling this way. Get a grip Freya. He's an elf. Not an option. Race difference matters here a lot. He teaches me how to wear the strange leather item on my left forearm. It's supposed to protect my forearm from the bowstring when I release it. He ties the strings and takes my other hand, now putting the glove on and fixing it. It's a funny glove actually, covering only three of my fingers and leaving the other ones out. Unlike my expectations, the material is soft and flexible and doesn't constrict my movements at all. I look at Legolas's hands as he works on the strings. "You don't wear gloves." I say, stating the obvious.

He looks at me and grins wide. "No Freya, I do not. And I am pretty sure you know I am an expert archer. I have no need of it anymore." He says playfully. I roll my eyes at that. He chuckles. "It would help relieve the pressure of the string on your fingers. And it gives you accuracy, helps with releasing the string more swiftly." He continues in his instruction type tone, serious this time. Then Legolas reaches for my bare hand, stroking my fingers. "And you are a woman. Your fingers need more protection than mine do." He adds softly. Letting go and moving away. Let me say this clearly, I might not have been breathing till now. Stupid blond elf, with his stupid unnecessary touching. Someone that good looking shouldn't be allowed to do something like that. I shake my head and follow him to the shooting area. Legolas shows me the proper stance to shoot. I try to copy him but each time miss one detail.

"Do not worry Freya. It is quiet natural. You will get it eventually." Legolas says. I nod my head. Practice makes perfect.

"Now shoot an arrow to that target. It is alright if you do not hit the target. Just remember to be conscious of your stance each time you want to shoot. That way, it will become a habit and before long it becomes muscle memory and you just do it without even noticing." He advises me as I take my place in front of the target. It has no markings on it. No bullseye. Legolas says it helps me concentrate on learning to shoot without worrying about the mark.

I place my feet in the right position, copying Legolas, who's doing the same thing beside me. I bring the bow up and notch an arrow in the right place. Concentrate on the target, draw the string back and then, I let go. The result is far from satisfying. The arrow goes a few meters and drops to the ground. Oh. I look at Legolas. "Do it again. Remember the stance." He says calmly.

I stubbornly shoot arrow after arrow. Failing miserably each time. After my tenth arrow hits the ground I get frustrated. I turn to Legolas. "What am I doing wrong?" I ask.

"Let me show you." He takes my place in front of the target. I try not to blink and watch carefully. He explains the details of what he does and then shoots. His arrow hits the target right in the middle. I frown. It looks so easy when he does it. I'm pretty sure he was born an archer. Then he asks me to do what he did once more. I copy him, listening to the tips he's giving me. Move your left foot a bit more forward. Stand straight. Rotate your hips.

This time the arrow almost hits the side of my target but doesn't exactly stay there. It falls to the ground. I swear if one more arrow hits the ground I'll go crazy. I sigh.

"It was much better." Legolas says patiently.

I take another look at my poor arrows on the ground and turn to Legolas. I grab his hands and pull him closer to me. He looks confused. I just ignore that and Put both his hands on my hips, then turn to the target again, waiting for his instructions. His hands don't move. In fact he doesn't seem to be doing anything. I look at him again. He's just standing there frozen. It looks like I've caught him off his guard. But I need help. He raises his eyebrows in question. "Legolas, help me. I'll go insane if one more arrow drops to the ground in front of me." I say, pleadingly.

He looks from my eyes to his hands on my hips, contemplating something. "Okay." He says softly and tightens his hold on my hips, rotating them to the right angle. I follow his instructions easier when he shows me directly. "Good. Now draw the string but do not let go yet."

I do as he says. "Flatten your back more. Yes, like that. Lower your chest downward toward your stomach a bit. Now, your shoulders are tense." He pushes my shoulders down a bit and then his hands leave me completely. "Now breathe, expand your chest and let go."

I release the string. My arrow flies to the target. Imbedding itself softly on the right side of it. It's not very impressive but at least it doesn't fall to the ground this time.

"Do not move. Keep your stance." I freeze at Legolas's fast words. Then I hear him move directly behind me. He puts his left hand on mine on the bow and grabs my other hand. I get what he wants to do. God, this is CHEESY. Come on. Is it really necessary? I should act professional. I can do this, without looking like a damn tomato. Hopefully.

"The problem is you do not put strength in your arrow. You have to draw the string back more and then release to have a clean shot." He whispers to my right ear as I pull the string back as far as I can with his help. I feel his chest pressed against my back and quickly look forward. I don't want him to see the light blush spreading on my face by second. "Breathe. Aim a little higher." He continues. Oh right. Gravity. I should aim higher. I ignore the stupid beating of my heart and breath. Focusing. Legolas tells me to let go of the string on the count of three and starts to count. I do as he says, letting go the moment he whispers three. The arrow flies fast and pierces the target right beside the one in the middle. My eyes go wide. I did it. Oh God, finally. I did it. Well, he helped me but still.

"YEEES. I DID IT. Thanks." I shout happily and throw my arms around my patient, very surprised, instructor. I hug him tight without thinking. I laugh loudly at my victory. His arms hesitantly come around me and he pats my back softly, stroking my hair. I hear him chuckle at my childlike happiness and feel the vibration through his chest. I like the feeling way too much. Too much for my own good. His body, too warm and welcoming. The fact that I'd like to stay there as long as it's possible, freaks me out and I step back immediately. I'm not sure if hugging is an okay social norm with elves. I've never seen it done here. But fortunately Legolas doesn't seem to mind. He smiles at me as I step back. "Congratulations Freya. That was very good." He says watching me grab my bow again. "Though there is still much to do."

"I'm gonna try again." I say over my shoulder, excited. And I honestly need to distract myself from his smile.

After I made a few successful shots, Legolas brings another target and Puts it in a much farther distance for himself. He starts shooting beside me, keeping an eye on me all the time, correcting my wrong moves. Archery is much more fun that I thought it would be. It could become my favorite.

Despite the fact that I liked it, two hours later I put the bow down and refuse to touch it anymore. My fingers, arms, chest, back and even my legs hurt. How is that? I didn't do anything with my legs.

"Already tired Lady Ellis? Maybe it was too much for you." Legolas grins, watching me collapse on the grass beside him.

"Come on. I'm human, I run out of energy faster than you. It's been more than two hours." I pout at him. "And Thandir's gonna train me tomorrow as well. I'm not sure I'll be able to move by then if you push me more than this today. Have some merci."

He smiles. "It was a good first session I suppose. I did not expect you to hit the target at all today."

"Hey." I protest. He laughs at my pouting face.

"I am only joking Freya. It was really good. You might turn out to be a very good archer if you stick with me."

Stick with him, huh? I like that, though I shouldn't. I don't know anything about this guy yet but my brain is already acting out scenarios for me. My stupid brain. I always was a dreamer. And it should stop. This world is at war and there are countless things I still don't know. It's not exactly the best time to fall for someone, no matter how tempting it is.

We gather our arrows, mine mostly on the ground and his all imbedded in the target, of course. As we head back Legolas instruct me to keep warm and rest properly. He asks me to practice the stance with and without the bow in my free time, to help with the muscle memory.

Muscle memory. I laugh silently to myself. The only memory my muscles are remembering right now is Legolas's hard chest pressed against my back and his hands on mine. Not good. But at least it helps me remember the stance I guess.

Days go by faster than I expected here. I almost don't remember my old life anymore. My job, my small apartment, even my beloved laptop, they're all fading away. The only things I still painfully miss are my granny and Tina. I can't go back to granny. But Tina… Oh I wish she's just happy. I miss her so much. She'll be married in March and I'm gonna miss the wedding. By now it doesn't feel like I'll be going back home. I know it in my heart. Each day I spend here, I feel more… attached to this place. It's like I was always meant to be here. Honestly if the opportunity to go back home presents itself to me right now, I'm not so sure I would go. I talked about this with Gandalf and he said it's a good thing. I matched with this magical world, he said. I still don't know what that means and he didn't speak of it anymore. He's a stubborn man. There's just nothing you can do about it if he doesn't want to tell you something. But ever since then he spends more time with me and I feel he's watching out for me all the time. Sometime I feel like I'm a ticking bomb. But that's just the paranoid side of me being ridiculous. I don't mind Gandalf watching out for me. In fact I kind of like it. We've grown quiet close. He's almost like family now.

The day Legolas found me in the woods was the 23rd of October. Today is the 24th of December, which means I've been here for two months now. Rivendell has become my home in these two months, a second wonderful home. I'm used to waking up in my bright bedroom, have breakfast with Gliriel. Sometimes Arwen and a few other Ellets joined us as well. I'm used to exploring Rivendell with Merry, Pippin, Sam and Frodo. I'm used to spending hours in the amazing library. Walking in the gardens with Gliriel. Training with Thandir and Legolas. Listening to elvish music at dinner. And so many other things. Unfortunately this would all end tomorrow. As much as I'm excited to set out on a new journey, I also feel sad leaving this beautiful city and the friends I've made here behind.

Gliriel told me we will definitely meet again. She said she's still young and won't be sailing west anytime soon. I found out later that young, meant one thousand three hundred and twenty seven years old. Right. Young. I always thought she's around my age. I'm twenty three and by elvish standard, Gliriel tells me, that's the age of a child. Well. I guess that explains why they all seem so wise. They're ancient. I can't even wrap my head around how long one thousand three hundred and twenty seven years is. But anyway we promised to meet again after all this is over.

As for my training in the last weeks, I've become much better at both sword fighting and archery, thanks to my personal instructors. They both have been exhausting me. Legolas more, since he had more free time to make me shoot thousands of arrows. My arms have grown stronger… a bit… I hope. I'm far away from being a capable warrior but at least I have a chance to protect myself from dying in the first few minutes of a fight now. It actually feels good. Personally I like archery better. And no, not because of my handsome teacher. In fact, I've been keeping my stupid head and heart in check for a while now. And I'm pretty proud of it. Now that I know elves are immortal, Legolas is just so so so out of my league. I know when it's just hopeless. But anyway my shooting has become much better.

The fellowship seems to have opened up to me as well. Boromir and Gimli talk to me more often now. They started to see me as a normal girl I guess. Boromir still doesn't approve of me going with them. Though he shows it differently now. Saying it would be too dangerous for a young unmarried girl to travel such a dangerous path with a company of men. Sexist, I know. But having lived here for two months, I'm not as sensitive as I was before and I dismiss his behavior as just protective or something like that. Men of this age are just like that. They probably need a few millennia more to get my way of thinking. We are going to spend the next month in close proximity so I really want to be friends with everyone and so I leave it alone. Aragorn assures me that Boromir's intentions are noble. He simply worries about my safety, he says. I just hope that's the case.

Tonight we all sat at dinner together. Lord Elrond gave us the last bits of advice for the road. We all enjoyed our last meal and talked and laughed, listening to elves playing harp and singing in their beautiful language. Merry and Pippin ate as much as they could, saving up for the road, apparently. I tried to memorize every small detail of the night, which I mostly spent with Gliriel. Whatever happens to me, this would be a good memory I would hang on to.

I have already packed everything. Extra clothes which were made for me here, my new bow and arrows that Legolas got me from the blacksmith, the light sword Thandir had made for me, my own knife, hiking stuff, new shoes and a mountain of medievalish personal hygienic materials given to me by Gliriel and Arwen. They both insisted I take enough for two months, even though we'll reach Lothlorien in a month at most. They said I will be needing them since I'm traveling with males and I couldn't ask for help in women related stuff. Washing soaps were also a necessity. So my pack was mostly filled with personal stuff.

I look around the bedroom once more, dragging myself out of my head. Everything's already been taken care of. Gliriel is supposed to wake me up before dawn to join my companions at the gate and we would set out on foot. I was told there wouldn't be much time for sleeping on the road since Frodo's mission was to be kept a secret. That's why I really should sleep. I do a final check of my stuff like I'm used to and then jump to the comfy bed. Leaving this bed would be hard in the morning, knowing I will not see anything like it for a whole bloody month. I laugh to myself quietly. Looks like I've signed up for a lifetime of hiking and cross country when I went to that travel agency. Well, they always say be careful what you wish for.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support.

Comments and ideas are appreciated so don't feel shy and tell me what you think. ;)

Mira

 **Chapter Eight**

"… Up. Wake up. Freya, you really should wake up now. Come on girl." I hear someone nagging continuously next to my ear. I pull the blanket up and try to hide beneath it. The insistent person at my side pulls it away immediately. Gliriel.

"Ughh, let me sleep. It's too early. The sun is not fucking up yet Gliriel. Please." I say sleepily to my beautiful friend.

"Freya. You are late. The fellowship is ready to depart. Everyone is at the gate." Gliriel says again.

I sit up immediately, jumping out of bed so fast I actually fall to the ground. "Shit, I forgot. How could I forget? Oh Freya, you idiot." I speak fast. I stumble to my feet and go to wash my face, hitting my little toe against the bed. "Ow, ow, FUCK. Not now. Oh God." I say angrily under my breath as I keep moving, not having even a second to waste. When I turn back, Gliriel's waiting for me beside the bed, travelling clothes ready in hand. I rush to change with her help. I tie my long hair in a high pony tail and grab my stuff.

"Thanks Gliriel. You're a life saver." I say as I hurry out of the room with her.

She gives me a bright smile and hands me an apple. "And here is your breakfast."

"Oh thanks, I'm actually starving." I take the apple and take a bite appreciatively.

We walk fast to the gate. Gliriel was right everyone was already there. "Sorry. Sorry I'm late." I pant as I stop before Lord Elrond. He has a hint of a smile on his face. I walk past the elves fast and go to stand beside Sam and his pony. "Hey Sam." I smile at the hobbit holding Bill's reins in his hands. "So am I really late or just a tiny little bit late?" I continue in a low voice.

"Just a bit Freya. Don't worry. It's alright I guess. Master Gimli just got here too." Sam assures me kindly. Oh good. Gimli probably over slept too. I relax a bit and look around. Elves are standing here and there. Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir stand on one side of Lord Elrond. I see the familiar faces of Gliriel and Thandir standing in the back.

"The Ring bearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom and you who travel with him, no oath, nor bond, is laid to go further than you will." Lord Elrond starts talking in a firm voice. It's like an announcement. "Farewell. Hold to your purpose and may the blessings of elves, and men, and all free folk go with you." He looks at each one of us and does the hand gesture thing. I know it means some sort of goodbye in elvish. Legolas does the same to him and his kin. I look around at the now familiar faces of the elves. This is goodbye.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring bearer." Comes Gandalf's voice. Frodo looks around once more and then turns to leave. Everybody's getting ready to leave to. I realize I can't just nod my head and leave. I walk to Lord Elrond and bow my head to him. "Lord Elrond." I say and he raises one of his eyebrows in question, looking down at my face.

"Lord Elrond I… uh… I wanted to thank you. Thank you, for letting me stay here these two months. Thank you for your kindness and your help." I say smiling at him genuinely. He's a kind man, elf, I mean. He may seem serious and uptight at first glance but if you look close enough you'll see his true self, kind and caring, hidden by those serious eyebrows.

"Freya Ellis, you are always welcome in my house. May thy paths be green and the breeze on thy back. Until next we meet." He does the farewell gesture to me. I look at his hand and in a moment decide to do it my way. I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him. I know it's not natural for elves, but it's also not natural for me to say goodbye to someone I care about without hugging them. He awkwardly pats my back, but smiles anyway, understanding my gesture.

I say goodbye to Arwen and the twins next. They are more used to my strange behavior as they put it. Elladan pats my head. "Be careful out there little one." He says grinning widely. "Do not get yourself hurt." Elrohir adds. I nod my head to both of them. Arwen says goodbye carelessly. I don't need to follow the direction her eyes turn to every few seconds to know who she is looking at. "I'll keep an eye on him for you Lady Arwen. Don't worry. No woman shall come close to him while I stand watch." I tell her jokingly, trying to make her feel better. It must be very hard to let go of the man you love, especially when he's going on a long dangerous journey. I don't think I'll ever be capable of doing that myself. She laughs at my joke and hugs me back. "Thank you Freya. Be careful on your way. I hope we meet again in the times of peace." I smile and step back.

I should hurry now. Only Aragorn is still here. Everybody else is outside the gates already. I run to Gliriel and Thandir, engulfing them both in a tight hug. "I'll miss you guys. Thank you for everything." I let go, letting the poor elves breath again. They're both smiling at me.

"Be careful Freya." Thandir says.

"We will meet again my friend. Farewell." Gliriel says the last words. I nod my head, smiling.

I step back and walk to Aragorn. We both take a final look at the elves and then walk to our companions. They're already a bit ahead of us. Aragorn is silent. I know he's thinking of Arwen so I just don't bother him and go to Sam. He's walking with the pony at the back of the group. He turns my way when I reach him. "Well, it's a beautiful day to start our journey, don't ya think my lady?" He says looking around. No matter how many times I tell Sam to just call me Freya, he still says my lady half the times he talks to me.

"Yeah, it is. Though I'm not yet fully awake. I swear it must be five in the morning." I manage to say that through a massive yawn. Sam laughs.

We walk south through the valley of Imladris. After an hour of walking in the woods my muscles seem to have awakened and I begin to enjoy the exercise more. I always was a fan of jogging and hiking. I guess it showed on my face.

"Do you enjoy travelling Freya?" Sam asks me curiously.

"Yeah, I actually do. I never travelled much before though. It's my first time being so far from home." It feels a bit weird thinking about my old home.

"How is it? Your world I mean? You don't talk much of it." Sam asks me. His question attracts the attention of everyone around us. I feel them all listening for my answer.

"Well, very different. My world is more technologically advanced." Sam looks confused so I try to explain things simply. It's so hard to explain such simple things when half of your vocabulary doesn't make sense to anyone. "We have big cities built with stone, steel and glass. With very tall buildings everywhere. Millions of people live in one city."

"Wow. That must be amazing. You must miss your home." Sam says in an amazed tone.

"Well, somehow I do. At first the change was too much. But I'm fine now. I lived alone so…" I explain.

"Why aren't you married Freya?" Pippin asks me, turning his head back to look at me curiously. Ok I didn't expect that question to come up.

"Pippin, that's rude." Merry scolds his friend, hitting his shoulder.

I laugh at that. "It's alright Merry. I don't mind. And I'm just not married. No specific reason."

"But are you not of age?" Pippin asks again.

"Umm… I guess I could be… of age. I don't know. I just never met the right guy I guess. It's not like all my people get married that early. Some never do." I say a bit embarrassed.

"What else is different? You said earlier that there's no hobbit in your world, right?" Sam, sensing my embarrassment, tries to change the topic. I smile at him thankfully.

"Yeah, no hobbits or dwarves. There are small people in my world, but they're just small humans. I heard of elves before I come here though. They're just very different in my world." I chuckle to myself saying that, imagining a Christmas elf standing next to Legolas in my head.

"You have elves?" I hear Legolas's voice right beside me. He kind of appeared out of nowhere. I look at his confused expression.

"Well, somehow. No not really." I keep laughing.

"Do they look like our elves?" Sam asks hopefully. I know he's always been interested in elves.

"They do have pointy ears and wear green clothes. But that's about it." I say, chuckling at the mental picture. I look at Legolas, eyebrows raised more than ever. Alright I should stop. "Ok, well. We don't exactly have elves. I just said I heard of them. As in stories. We have elves in our stories. Not really really. And they're nothing alike." I say apologetically.

"I see. That's why you stared at my ears like that the first time you saw them." Legolas says calmly. I look at him. He's nothing like a funny green elf. He looks more like an angel or even a mythological god. I will never tell him that of course.

No one says anything for a few seconds. Then Gimli starts talking. "You said you have tall buildings, aye lass?" I nod my head.

"Yes, I lived in one myself. On the 15th floor actually." I say, remembering my small apartment.

"That's so tall. Isn't it dangerous?" Sam asks, looking horrified.

"It's perfectly safe. It's not actually that high up. Once you're inside you can't really tell the difference you know. I'm not a fan of heights myself either. But it's safe." I understand how a hobbit who lives in a single floor hole in the ground must feel about height.

"Do you travel by horses my lady? In your world?" To my momentary shock, Boromir asks me the next question. Maybe he's showing me a white flag?

"Uhh… we have horses. But no, we don't travel with horses, not anymore. We go around by cars and trains and some other stuff." I get those confused looks again. So I go on without waiting for the questions to come. "Cars are some sort of mechanical… carriages? Or chariots? Something close to that. You have them right?" I hope I don't have to explain the concept of a carriage as well.

"Yes, yes, we do." Gimli says enthusiastically. "I think your people's craft is close to dwarven craft lass."

I know a little about dwarf cities and machinery from a book I read in Rivendell's library. He's right. They're quite amazing, considering this world is still ages away from any industrial revolution.

"Yeah, close to your craft. I don't have any specific knowledge of these stuff, but your technology is quite advanced compared to the whole medieval aura this world has." Gimli's face brightens at my complement of his people.

He sticks to my side from that moment on, telling me about their cities and people. I tell him about our machinery and try to explain how a car moves on its own. He gets the picture. The idea seems understandable to him it's just not practical in this world. I'm actually happy he understands what I'm saying. He's a fun guy to be around. At some point he warns me about trusting elves too much, eying the blond in front of us suspiciously. It's obvious as daylight that they don't like each other. Some prejudices die hard. I chuckle at his comment about Legolas.

"Now lass, I ain't saying master elf over there is not trustable. You know. They're just different, that is." Gimli continues advising me. Legolas is ahead of us. I'm not sure if he can hear us or not but he doesn't say anything. Watching these two is gonna be interesting. They're constantly annoyed by each other somehow.

The rest of the day flows by fast. Looking at the map is something and actually moving on it is a whole other thing. I mean, we've been walking for a day and we're not even out of the woods around Rivendell yet. When we stop for the night, I'm extremely tired. These guys are tough. And since I didn't want to be treated like a weak woman, I kept up with them all day. Resulting in all my muscles whining at the extreme workout I put them through, the moment I hit the ground. Gandalf calls me over then. "How are you doing Freya?" He asks me in his mysterious voice.

"Tired as hell." I whisper back to him, so no one would hear me. He smiles. "I'm okay though."

Gandalf tells us all that tomorrow we will make it out of the woods and then travel south sticking to the western side of the misty mountains. That's gonna take a while. It's a long way. But thinking about it right now is useless. I hope everyday will just be as peaceful as today. The road seems safe enough. Maybe I was too worried about the horrible things I read in books about orcs and goblins and trolls after all. We haven't been attacked by anything so far. I settle down beside Gandalf and Frodo, spreading my bedroll just a bit away from the center of the circle. Woman or not, I'm not gonna sleep any further away than that. If we get attacked, I don't care if it's appropriate or not, I might actually go sleep next to Legolas. Ehem.. Dangerous direction of thought Freya. Come back immediately.

I look at the little hobbit sitting alone not far from me, staring at the fire Aragorn made a few minutes ago. Frodo seems quieter since we left Rivendell. It's the ring. I know. I just don't get how this stupid ring is doing these things to him but Gandalf assured me that resisting its magic is very hard. He told me for some mysterious reason, I was the only one not affected by its evil pull. Probably because I'm not from this world or something like that. It's scary that a piece of jewelry is capable of controlling you, so I thank god it doesn't work on me.

Sam gives each of us our share of the food and I happily devour everything that's on my plate. The food tastes so good after such a physically laboring day.

After dinner, Aragorn, Gandalf and the hobbits bring out their pipes and start smoking. I watch the rings of smoke go up in the sky. Gandalf's good at this. I'm fascinated by the shapes moving around like a child. But it kind of makes me sleepy watching them.

"You should get some rest. You are tired." Comes the melodic voice of my favorite elf. I look at him sitting beside me on a bedroll. Is he sleeping there? Next to me? I recover fast, so what if he's sleeping there Freya. Don't be a fucking teenager.

"Yeah, I probably should. I'm tired." I say, hiding a yawn with my hand. Moving to lie down on my own bedroll.

He chuckles softly. "Sleep well, little one."

"Goodnight Legolas." I say that and lay down, trying to do it naturally so it wouldn't look like I just took refuge under my blanket so he won't see the light blush on my cheeks.

The ground is hard. It's nothing like the lovely bed I slept on in Rivendell. My body doesn't acknowledge that though. The moment I pull the thin blanket on myself, my body starts to shut down. I want to stay awake a bit more with everyone but sleep takes me. Despite my better judgement, the last thing my mind remembers is the masculine voice in my head. Sleep well, little one.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support. I appreciate your comments and I do plan to finish this story, yes.

I really love to hear from you so don't be shy. Your comments give me more energy.

Sorry this chapter came a bit late. I had an exam. Here you go. I hope you like it.

Mira

 **Chapter Nine**

It's not nice to be woken up at fucking four in the morning. Is it? FOUR? It's still dark for God's sake. Why do we have to get up so early? Another tiny hour of sleep wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? Apparently it might actually endanger the safety of all middle earth as Gandalf says. As a result to this, I'm in my bitchy mood right now. I don't particularly enjoy getting up at four. Maybe five thirty. Six is more like my usual routine. The only other grumpy one right now is Gimli. And we both curse everything and everyone in the universe under our breath and stay away from the group as we gather our stuff to get back on the road. Or maybe our companions are staying away from us. That's more likely.

If it's even possible, my mood gets even worse when I find out that Legolas has been on watch duty all night long. Meaning he hasn't slept at all. And here he is standing on top of a rock as if travelling by foot at 4 A.M. is the most exciting thing in the world. And he looks just as perfect as ever. Perfect clothes, perfect clean hair. His blue eyes sharp, looking around, and they find me just then. I glare at him. Not fair. I'm sure I look like a mess with my hair pointing to every possible direction and my clothes all wrinkled. And my eyes feel puffy. And he's standing there so abnormally perfect. I pout. "How is it that you're so energetic? Weren't you on watch duty last night?"

"Good morning Freya. Did you sleep well last night?" He ignores my questions and gives me a very amused grin.

"Well, I could have. If Gandalf wouldn't have woken me up in the middle of it." I whine some more since somebody just offered their ears.

His eyes soften. "You will get used to this soon. And to answer your question, yes I have been on watch."

I frown at his happy expression. Is he crazy? He rolls his eyes. "Elves do not require as much sleep as humans do Freya. That's why I appear, as you say, energetic." He explains, laughing, and starts walking ahead.

We walk, munching on bread as we go. We can't lose the light, Aragorn says. What light? I don't call this light. I know I'm being a bit overdramatic but letting it out will help me get back to normal sooner. There are other solutions to get rid of my bad mood of course. One of them is the elf. I always feel better when I'm close to him. But it also has other damaging side effects which I promised myself not to unnecessarily cause for my heart. So I go with my next best option, the hobbits. I walk to catch up with them and Gandalf.

"Feeling better Freya?" asks Merry as I approach.

"Yeah. It'll pass. Sorry." I answer, shy. Merry nods his head in understanding. It's in times like this that I notice my hobbit friends are actually older than me not the other way around.

Then they just continue talking about this festivity they have in Shire and how everyone would celebrate and give gifts to each other. They describe the parties in the evening and the music and the dance. Eventually the talk leads to foods and drinks and the spectacular cakes in Hobbiton of course. I expected that, really. Every time we talk about the Shire, we end up at the food or the long bottom leaf they seem to worship equally. Such a happy life. It must be wonderful. I smile, imagining how the green valley would look like.

See it worked. If you're in a bad mood, just a little doze of hobbit will get you right back on the track. Before long I'm laughing with them at the stories and memories shared by the four friends. One day I really like to see Shire. If I can. I mean if I stay of course. If I can stay. If Lady Galadriel doesn't ship me back to earth immediately, that is.

These days I keep wondering if Gandalf knows something about my situation. You know he's the kind of guy who knows things. And in my case I think he's hiding something from me. He acts weird somehow. I eye him suspiciously from the corner of my eyes. He's walking a little bit ahead of me and my four little friends. As if feeling me staring a hole in the back of his hat, he turns toward me. "Freya, my child." Gandalf gestures for me to go to him. I walk to his side slowly.

"How are you feeling on this morning my dear? Is it hard for you to be out of Rivendell?" He asks me in his old voice.

I smile. Here's the clever wizard. Like always, he reads my moods instantly. "I'm alright. Thanks Gandalf." I smile at him gratefully. "And it's just been a day since we left. I'm not a child. Of course, I miss Rivendell and my friends, but I'm with some of my other friends now so it's fine." I shrug, feeling childish in secret under his wise eyes.

"Good. Very good." He looks deep into my eyes. And then he goes silent again. The moment our eyes locked, I felt this strange thing in my head. Like a whisper in my thoughts. A whisper I couldn't exactly manage to understand. It seemed too far away. The moment he looked away the feeling also disappeared. It happened before with Gandalf when I first came here. But then I thought he was using magic to help me cope with the shock of what happened to me with the portal travelling and all. Now I just didn't know what it was. Gandalf was indeed being strange again.

I have questions. I always do when I see Gandalf. I'm pretty sure he always knows more than he shows.

"Gandalf, I was wondering…" I start but grow silent, thinking whether I should really ask him or not.

"What is it my dear?"

"I was wondering about what Lady Galadriel would say about me." I shift uncomfortably under his gaze. "I… if she decides that I should go back… and that it's been an accident… and I shouldn't be here in the first place…"

"Would you like to? Is that what you wish for?" He asks me, his expression unreadable.

"I… I'm not sure… I don't know…" I look at him again. He's looking at me kindly, not judgy. "Is it bad if I don't want to?" I look at my feet. I know I should be eager to go back but… when I picture myself back in my apartment all alone…, going back doesn't seem like a very exciting option. And I'm already attached to this place. And what about the friends I made? Gliriel, Thandir, Arwen, my dear hobbits, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas? Even Boromir is considered a friend at this point.

"We do not know what future holds for us Freya. Not even the wisest know. You shouldn't weary yourself with those thoughts." He pats my shoulder. "And I wouldn't dislike the idea of you sticking around here my child. I'm sure I'm not the only one either." He smiles reassuringly and looks forward again. By now I know Gandalf enough to realize that means he won't say anymore. Fair enough. I waited two months already. Another month of waiting surely won't kill me. Who knows maybe Lady Galadriel won't kick me out of here as I fear anyway. For now let's just enjoy the trip while nothing horrible has yet happened. Yup, I'm gonna do that.

We stop for lunch when the sun is high up in the sky. Aragorn and Boromir disappear somewhere to get us something to eat. I help Sam starting the fire. I always liked starting fires in camps. It gives me a sense of adventure. Of course in this world it's something very trivial. Everyone can make a fire here but I still get excited anyway.

When the flames start to burn steadily, Aragorn and Boromir get back to the camp. Boromir is carrying an animal on his shoulder. Something like a deer I guess. I don't like this part but this is also a part of this world. You can't just go and buy what you need. I look at Aragorn putting down refilled skins of water beside Sam.

"Water?" I ask Aragorn stupidly. Water meant a nearby lake or something right?

"Yes Freya. Why are you so shocked?" Aragorn laughs at my happy face. "There is a small lake nearby this place with clean water. I filled them from a small waterfall pouring down into the lake." He pats my head affectionately and starts walking away. I jump after him.

"Aragorn, is it safe? Can you show me where it is?" I ask.

"Why?" He's confused with my over enthusiasm.

Guys. Looking at Aragorn and his disheveled appearance, I get why he doesn't understand my enthusiasm about clean water. "I'm a girl. You know. I was thinking maybe I could go for a quick wash while we're waiting here for lunch." I keep looking at him with big eyes so he would agree easier.

"Freya. You are very clean. It is but our second day…" He starts to argue.

"We don't know when another chance would come up. Please, I'll be very quick." I almost beg. We walked and walked for a day and a half and we slept in the woods last night. If there's a possibility of a wash, I will definitely seize it.

Aragorn looks at Gandalf, who apparently heard our conversation.

Gandalf nods, smoking his pipe all the while. "It is alright I suppose. We shall be stopping here for a while. But you cannot go alone Freya. It still could be dangerous." I nod happily. Aragorn will definitely come with me. I turn to him smiling, but he shakes his head.

"I can't. I should help Boromir with skinning the deer, so we could finish faster." He says, amused with the massive pout on my face. He looks at somewhere behind me, searching for someone. _"Legolas, my friend. Can you accompany Freya to the lake?"_

Oh no. No fucking way. No. He did not just ask Legolas to go with me, did he? I mean anyone else is fine. Why Legolas? I feel, the elf walking to us. He stands beside me. Yeah, Aragorn must have definitely asked him to go with me. Shit.

 _"I do not mind."_ Legolas said something briefly. I look at him. "Shall we go then?" He asks me already getting ready to go.

It's too late for me to say I don't want a bath now. There's literally no possible way for me to refuse without offending him. "Oh. Okay. I'll just get my bag." I'm being too conscious of him. Just because I find Legolas incredibly hot and attractive, it doesn't mean he thinks the same about me. I'm just a normal boring human girl. He wouldn't even care. I'm his student and probably his friend. Yes. That's how I finish my internal monologue and stop feeling shy instantly. He's just showing me the way. I walk back to him with my bag and we start moving away from the camp. Legolas is walking ahead of me in that graceful elvish manner, his feet making no noise on the ground. I follow close behind him in a hurry.

"Sorry Legolas. I'm being a bother again." I say quietly. He has good hearing. I know he can hear me even if I whisper.

He turns and looks at me with a smile. "Don't apologize. I am merely showing you the way. It's no inconvenience at all." I smile back. "And I'm a wood elf. I always enjoy wandering around in the woods."

We walk for a few minutes before Legolas suddenly stops and turns to me again. "Here it is."

I look around. Ah, yes the lake is just behind the trees in front of us. "Thanks. I'll be very quick." I start moving away, happy I can get clean again.

"I'll be around. Call for me when you're done." I nod my head automatically. "And if anything happens and you need help, I'm here Freya."

"Thanks."

The water feels just perfect. Not too cold and not too warm. Considering it's December already and it should be cold. The valley of Imladris is just perfect to me. The nature is beautiful and the weather is amazing, not to mention the occupants are elves. What could one possibly ask for more than this?

The moment I was sure Legolas is nowhere in sight and can't actually see me through the trees, I took off everything and jumped in the water as fast as I could. I took one moment to just enjoy the fresh water on my skin and then I moved as fast as lightning to wash my hair and body. I don't want to be late and be looked down on by anyone because I'm a woman and I need unnecessary things, as they might say.

I swim around a few times when I finish washing, savoring the freshness of water and how good it feels. And then pick up the thin towel I left on the rock nearby to warp around myself. I don't think I'll be able to take baths like this in the next month. Men don't care very much about these things anyway. I thank Gliriel silently for the amazing soap she gave me. The floral smell is the best.

Everything's been quiet so far. Well I didn't exactly expect to get attacked while still in the territory of elves. But it is my first time almost alone in the woods here. I dry up quickly and put on my favorite purple bra and panties. I know, not very practical in middle earth but it will take ages for me to get used to the huge medievalish undergarment women put on here. So I just went with my own, since I had enough of them packed in my bag. I always believed that underwear gives you the right amount of confidence.

I take off the towel to dry my hair, when something moves. I jump in the opposite direction and stare at the trees, wide eyed. My heart is beating so hard it feels it's gonna jump out of my chest. I know it's not Legolas. Something is out there, something probably aggressive, and it knows I'm here, and I don't have anything but a knife to defend myself, since I left everything else back at the camp.

There's another movement in the trees, much closer to me this time and I scream in panic without even realizing, dropping the towel. Seconds later, Legolas appears out of nowhere, bow in hand and ready to fight. "Freya, what's wrong? Did…" He doesn't finish his sentence. He just stands there frozen.

I don't have time to discover why he's frozen in spot. I run over to him immediately and clutch at his side. "Thank God you're here. Something's out there. In the trees. It moved. Twice. And it's getting closer." I whisper to him, not noticing the strange way he's looking at me or the stiffness of his body under my hands.

"There." I point to the trees again when Legolas doesn't move. His eyes finally leave me and look at the direction I'm showing. He carefully examines the area in front of us. I think his elf eyes can see what it is out there that scared the hell out of me.

"Don't be afraid. It's not an enemy." He finally says in a strange tone I never heard from him before. "It's just a rabbit." I exhale visibly at that.

A rabbit? Did he say a rabbit? Oh God.

I made such a big fuss over a tiny rabbit. I was pretty sure it's an orc or something even more terrible, planning to eat me for lunch. "Oh... I.. um…" I look up at him. His eyes are back on me again. His expression unreadable. I feel myself turn pink from embarrassment. It was just a rabbit. Feeling his heavy gaze on me, I notice I'm still very much glued to his right side. I let go immediately and take a step back.

"Sorry. I freaked out for a second. Thought it was an orc or something." I barely look at his eyes, embarrassed they may be looking at me mockingly. And I notice something. His eyes are not looking back at me at all. Or you could say he's not looking back at my EYES. That's more accurate. I find out that his eyes are traveling up and down my body…

Wait just a minute. My body... Did I finish dressing or not? I did have the towel around me. Or not. I cover myself with my hands. "LEGOLAS."

His eyes snap back to my red face instantly. I can't believe he just… I know it's more my fault, but he just can't… OH GOD.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES… please." I manage to add a please in the end after shouting at him.

He immediately shut his eyes and clears his throat. "Sorry."

I grab the clean clothes from my bag and put them on frantically while he's standing there with closed eyes. I can't believe what just happened. I'm an IDIOT. Who would be afraid of a bunny to the point of forgetting they're actually naked. And then cling to a guy like that. Ughh…

"I apologize, my Lady. I… I was just shocked. I did not mean to offend you. I shouldn't have…" I hear Legolas trying to explain, clearly thinking I'm mad at him for… that. His eyes are still shut, his head down.

I feel stupid and unimaginably embarrassed. I'm not even close to being mad, really. I just displayed myself in my sexy underwear, in front of the hot guy I secretly fancy and he actually stared at me. I'm not mad. I'm blushing like a freaking teenager. I can actually feel the heat radiating from my face. And my heart's pounding like crazy.

"Um Legolas, I'm sorry, for shouting at you. You can open your eyes now." I say very quietly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."

He opens his eyes slowly and looks back at me. He's so good at hiding his feelings that I really can't tell what's going on in his head right now. Did he think I looked weird? Did he like…? NO NO FREYA. Don't you even dare. He was shocked and he might have stared at you for a second or two. That's it. Guys don't have to like a girl to stare at them naked, in their sexy purple underwear on top of that. Don't go concluding things on your own.

"I hope you can forgive me?" Legolas says. His usual velvet tone back in place.

"Yeah. It's not that important." I decide moving on from this subject is the best approach. "Now you may really think I'm just a useless girl. I mean, who gets terrified of a bunny?" I chuckle softly.

He smiles back, following my example. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone of your bathing incident." He chuckles, back to his usual self, teasing me.

"Stop it. I might actually die if I blush more than this." I know I look like a tomato by now.

Warmth flows back in the blue orbs of his eyes as he smiles at me, reaching for my face. I feel a ghost of a touch on my left cheek, before he withdraws his fingers and takes my bag from my hand. "Let's head back. Before Merry and Pippin eat your share of lunch."

Before I can catch my breath or calm my heart he moves away. I follow him through the woods. Silent. My mind playing out his touch and eyes for me uncontrollably. As I struggle with my delusional fantasies, trying to get them away from a very sexy Legolas eating me up with his eyes, I notice the said elf is looking at me from the corner of his eyes. I snap out of it immediately, afraid he might be able to read my mind.

"What?" I ask. He looks unsure. Like something's bugging him.

He stops in his tracks and gives me a serious look. "Freya. Are you hurt?" He finally asks me, deadly serious.

Hurt? Why would I be hurt?

"What? Hurt?" I ask him confused.

"I saw you." He seems slightly embarrassed. "By the lake. You were hurt. There." He points at my… well my stomach.

I look at his finger. Then at him. "Legolas, I'm not hurt. What are you talking about?"

He frowns. "I saw your body." Why does he keep reminding me that? I don't need extra reference really.

Then I get it. This talk all over again. He probably means my tattoo. Yeah. Gliriel freaked out a bit too, at first. It's something unusual here after all.

"That's nothing. I'm not hurt." I hope he would just let it go with that.

Well he doesn't. He keeps staring at me worriedly, thinking I'm hiding something from him. I sigh. He's not gonna let go. Not until I tell him. This elf doesn't like to be left out. I know after these two months spent here.

"It's a tattoo." I explain.

"Tattoo?"

"Yes. It's like painting something with ink on your skin."

He looks confused. "But you just washed?"

"Well, it's permanent. It doesn't wash off." I decide to show him a bit of the tattoo. I pull my shirt up a bit, so he can see the black pattern on my side. He looks a bit shocked for a second. Then moves closer. Now I look shocked. What's with the intense gaze?

"May I?" He asks softly. For a second I don't get what is it he wants to do, then I realize he's asking permission to look closely.

"Well it's not like you haven't seen me naked before. Go on." I laugh nervously.

He smirks at that and gets down on one knee to examine the pale flesh of my stomach. I gulp and decide to keep talking about the function of tattoo to keep myself distracted from his proximity to my exposed stomach.

Legolas listens as he inspects the pattern. "Does it hurt?" He asks, not looking up at me.

"Not now. It only hurts when you get it. And then it's sore for a while, but now it's fine."

He frowns. "Why would you hurt yourself then?" He doesn't get it just like Gliriel. I chuckle at his confused face.

"Well, if you want the honest answer, I just loved it and it's considered very sexy in my world. So I didn't mind the pain." I answer him carelessly.

He looks at me without any expression on his face. The corner of his lips goes up into a devilishly handsome smirk. My heart speeds up. He looks down at my tattoo again. "Well, I can't disagree with that. It definitely does its job perfectly."

I can't believe my ears. He meant… He said he finds my tattoo sexy. Or was I wrong? And what's with the smirk? I drop my shirt back down immediately and start walking ahead of him, trying to hide the monologue acting out in my head from him.

"Well then, you see, I'm not hurt. Now let's go back before Gandalf sends someone for us. We're late. And I'm hungry." I say, planning to distract the elf. Legolas agrees. He gets up swiftly and follows me without a word.

Meanwhile I keep repeating his words in my head. He said he thinks my tattoo is sexy. And he was looking at me earlier like that. But these are not the things that I'm really thinking about. All I'm concerned with at the moment is that for a fraction of a second I saw his eyes darken. As in he looked at me as a woman and his eyes darkened. And I freaked out.

He's an elf and I'm not even half as beautiful as the ellets in Rivendell. It's impossible. It was probably the light or the angle I was looking at him. Yes. It was that. It's stupid to think otherwise. I keep repeating these lines to myself but the memory of Legolas's smirk and dark eyes don't leave me alone until we get back to the camp and it stays with me for a while after that too.


	10. Chapter 10

I used Italic for _Elvish_ conversations.

 **Author's Note:** Hey guys. Thank you for reading and your support.

I really love to hear from you so don't be shy. Your comments give me more energy.

Mira

 **Chapter Ten**

It's such a different thing when you're traveling by foot. I could never imagine before how long it will actually take to get to your destination without any sort of transportation. It's been a week since we set out from Rivendell. I'm slowly adjusting to this new way of living. The exercise, the food, the sleeping under the stars and the absolute lack of any sort of technology, are all new.

I still practice my beginner archery whenever I have the time and energy. Legolas supervises my practice regularly, mostly to keep pushing me when I get tired rather than to teach me new stuff. He says I should practice and practice before moving on to the next level. Aragorn and Boromir also help with sword, not just for me but also for our hobbit friends who need to defend themselves. Surprisingly I interact a lot with Boromir these days. He feels… human. I know I'm stating the obvious but it's his remarkable characteristic somehow. Genuinely human and brave, not to mention surprisingly manly and strong. After a few days of carefully watching me, he finally approached and apologized for his criticism of me before. I actually found it a bit funny the extreme honorable way he was showing his regret. It was nostalgic, like a medieval character full of chivalry has just jumped out of the TV in front of me. I forgave him of course. He was a very good teacher. His fighting style was quiet different from Thandir. Thandir was all about gracefulness and quick reactions. Boromir taught me how to resist against brute strength. He was playing the role of the brute force in most of our practice sessions, of course. It's obvious that I'm nowhere near having brute strength myself so he decided that I should only avoid it, or use it to my advantage if possible. That's how we grew closer the last few days.

Spending all our days with the group has definitely brought us all close, except for maybe Gimli and Legolas. They fight and glare at each other at least three times a day. But it's more like a competition now rather than really hating each other. It's actually one source of entertainment for me these days.

I spend a lot of time with Gandalf and Frodo too. Frodo is similar to his uncle Bilbo in curiosity about faraway lands and people. Sam always listens silently when I start my stories of my own world. In between my talks I always throw different questions at Gandalf about magic and Sauron and elves. He has turned into my personal library somehow, with the small difference that he's not always available and not always answering. He refuses to answer my questions from time to time, especially the ones regarding magic. He turns all mysterious sometimes and leaves us. Frodo laughs and tells me it's his habit to do that and I'll get used to it in time.

In general, everything is going smoothly so far. We have not been attacked at all. The weather is good as well. But there's always a downside. We're currently traveling by the west side of the misty mountains and although we're not exactly going through the mountains, we still have to climb from time to time, to keep our route shorter. I'm not good with mountain climbing. It's not that I hate or anything, it's just that I lack the upper body strength.

Right now I'm standing in front of this really high bolder of rock, or whatever it is called. The thing is there's no way to go around it. We have to climb. Surprisingly Gandalf and Gimli are already up there. An old man and a dwarf have already done it and I'm standing here pathetically. My ego can't survive this if I let one of the guys lift me up like the hobbits. Boromir and Aragorn are already doing that, handing the poor guys to each other like grocery bags. I refuse to be treated like that. I stand beside Legolas. He smirks knowingly. "Need a hand my lady?"

He's enjoying this too much. In fact he's been teasing me about the climbing part for two days now, telling me I could ask for help anytime. I've been keeping up so far on my own but this time I'm not so sure. I should pull myself up with nothing but my arms and that seems impossible somehow. I'm not as tall or as strong as these guys. It's not fair. Anyway I'm gonna give it a try even if I fail miserably. I set my jaw in determination, turning to a very smug looking Legolas. "No, I'm fine. I can do this on my own."

His eyes twinkle mischievously and he motions with his head for me to go on.

"Alright then, my lady. Go on." He always calls me my lady when he's teasing me. It's his secret to make me blush by calling me names. He figured it out pretty fast. Ever since the embarrassing naked rabbit incident, things have become slightly different between us. I'm kind of more aware of him. But the one who seems to have changed more is the elf. I keep catching him staring at me from time to time and he doesn't even try to hide it. He just keeps staring some more until I blush and look away. It's like he keeps me in his line of sight all the time. I don't know what to make of it. I feel I'm being inspected and it makes me nervous.

I look forward and begin to set my foot between the rocks. I hear Aragorn and Legolas behind me, talking quietly, probably about me. Boromir has already climbed and is ready to help me up. I test my strength a bit before actually attempting to climb. I go up a bit and feel proud of my developing muscles. Maybe I'm not actually that weak. I've been working on getting stronger since I got here anyway. I turn to say something to the guys but before I know, the rock under my foot gives way and I slip, falling back unexpectedly. Getting stronger huh? I shouldn't get cocky for climbing a few inches.

I close my eyes, ready to hit the hard ground. The terrible hit never comes though. I land against someone. I'm pretty sure hard ground doesn't feel like this. Too warm and too comfortable. Too Legolas. He's wrapping his arms tightly around my body, just under my breasts. Too close to them in fact. My heart speeds up again. I'm doomed if his elvish ears can hear my stupid heart every time he touches me. I hear Aragorn chuckling from my left side and open my eyes.

"You should have let one us lift you Freya. It's alright. No one will judge you." Aragorn says, still laughing.

"I'm not so sure about that." I pout and wait for the elf to put me down. 'Not judging me' my ass. They're already laughing at me. Jerks.

He doesn't put me down right then. It's like keeping me up in his arms is no struggle at all for him. He's probably having fun judging by the vibration in his chest. I should get myself out of this situation. I feel too warm and I can feel Legolas's chest move with every breath. His warm breath against my ear is becoming a problem by the second as well. Not good.

"Legolas. Can you put me down? It's embarrassing." I whisper when Aragorn starts climbing. I try to cool down my blush.

"Hmmm." He whispers in my ear and then slowly lets go and I'm on the ground again. His hands stay on my hips longer than necessary. Now I may have gone totally mad but I keep thinking this guy is flirting with me. Maybe he's having some harmless fun as they say. With the big difference that it's not even near the boundaries of harmless since it's destructing my poor heart. It's not necessary to touch a girl like that, is it? Are elves more open with touching? Maybe.

"Now do you need my help or not little one?" He asks in a low voice, smirking devilishly. I look down to avoid his eyes. Again with the names. Who says elves are pure and good anyway? They're so good at hiding their inner feelings that it seems like that. They're fucking DANGEROUS. It's all an act. This one here definitely enjoys tormenting me.

He puts his hand under my chin, asking me to look at him. The moment our eyes meet, his eyes soften and he smiles. "Don't worry. I'm only joking. There's nothing to be embarrassed for." His hand is stroking my cheek again. This is the second time he does it and I still have problem understanding this gesture from Legolas. He's too confusing. I'm getting nowhere with this. I decide to let him help me so we can move on before Gandalf shouts at us to hurry. And it's not like I can actually climb on my own anyway.

Legolas picks me up in his arms again when I nod my agreement silently. He helps me grab onto Boromir who effortlessly lifts me into the air and pulls me up into his own arms. These guys are freaking strong. If all my attention wasn't on the blond elf, Boromir would have caught my eye with all those muscles and manliness. But well, it's not like my heart listens to me at all. It goes crazy for the guy I can't fall for. An immortal. Legolas climbs up and stands next to us in a second, glaring at Boromir. I haven't realized but I'm apparently still very much in Boromir's arms. He puts me down and smiles at me, ignoring the serious look from the elf. I thank him and turn to Legolas. Boromir walks away. I look at his frown, directed towards the gondorian. Seriously?

"That's not right. Boromir is a good man. He didn't mean anything." I don't know why Legolas is feeling the father figure for me. I like to fantasize about his intentions in another way but I know it's hopeless.

He looks at me seriously for a moment, wiping away all emotions from his face. "I didn't do anything Freya."

I didn't expect him to deny it like that. "Oh, Okay." I laugh at his childish answer, letting it go. It's almost like he's jealous and I like that idea very much.

He starts walking then, but gives me a very quick look before moving too far away. "He's a man. You should be more careful."

There. He said it. I wanna say 'so are you' but I stop myself. It's different with me and him. I know. We're elf and human so it's a NO NO. And I'm the only one turning red every single time Legolas is close. But Boromir is human and unmarried, so Legolas is just looking out for me. I guess. Thinking about this stuff is so depressing. I always imagined myself in the shoes of the girl with the impossible love in books and cried for days stupidly with that illusion. Having that actually happening in real life for me isn't gonna be much fun. So I just decide to stop thinking about it altogether.

...

Since I felt pretty useless in the fellowship, I started helping Sam with cooking the meals. He's really good at it and although I already know how to cook, it's quite a different story here in middle earth. Most of my recipes are useless, since they can't be cooked on a fire in the middle of nature if you know what I mean. And let's not talk about an oven or microwave or coffee maker, or ingredients. So I just started learning things from scratch from Sam. Middle Earth Cooking 101. I cut the vegetables with a dagger, which is oddly very different from a kitchen knife, and hand over the ingredients to Sam mostly. It's not much help, I know but the overall work satisfies me since I feel useful a bit when everyone eats the food appreciatively.

The nights are getting colder here. We're very close to the mountain and it gets cold even though we try to stay out of the wind. I'm starting to worry about it. We can only manage a small fire to avoid being seen by anyone. I was told by Gandalf that there are black riders looking for us. From what I heard from Aragorn and Sam about these riders, I feel they're bad news. Maybe even nightmarish news. I just hope we get away from the mountain soon.

My feet hurt. Like they hurt a lot. Since we're already settled for the night I decide to take care of them a bit. I warm a little bit of water on the fire and wash my feet. It looks bad. I've never seen my feet in this shape before. I guess it's the result of walking miles and miles every day. I can't really complain about it. As I'm inspecting the damage, Aragorn walks to my side and sits beside my bedroll.

"You okay Freya?" He asks me, worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine Aragorn. Thanks. It's just a bit sore." I try to hide the injuries in embarrassment.

"Why didn't you say anything? You should take care of yourself." He scolded me like a big brother, examining the wounds. I really liked the supportive side of this man. He seemed to be looking out for me whenever he could, even though he had no obligation to do so.

I smile. "Well it's really ugly so I didn't want anyone to see, you know." I shrug and move to put my boots back on.

"Don't think like that. Wait just a few moments. I'll get you something to sooth the pain." He stands up to go.

Before I can say anything he's gone after the medicine. It sure is nice to have so many friends who care for you. I massage my painful feet as I wait for Aragorn. He comes back with some sort of a green paste, made of some leaves.

"Thanks, Aragorn." I say as he hands me the medicine he just made.

"Put it on and wrap your feet with clean cloth. It quickens the healing too." He explains kindly. I nod my head and smile.

I start applying the paste. I'm relieved as soon as I feel the coolness on my skin. It doesn't sting as I feared. Aragorn observes my work carefully, making sure I do it properly.

"It feels much better. I wish they would be gone by tomorrow completely." I give another appreciative smile to Aragorn. He pats my head affectionately and stands to leave.

"You should come to me if something like this happens again. It's no trouble Freya." He says once more and then leaves me to sleep.

I look at my now bandaged feet. Please, please get better soon. Now I'm talking to my feet. Perhaps I've gone completely insane. Like begging them would make them behave. Well painful feet are the worst thing when you have to travel by foot.

Boromir is the first watch tonight. Everyone else is getting ready to sleep. The four hobbits are all huddled together near the fire. Gimli is already snoring. He doesn't have any problem falling sleep no matter where we are. Legolas is also laying down on his bedroll peacefully. He has one of his hands over his eyes and looks absolutely delicious and out of this world. I tear my eyes away from him forcefully. It'll be too embarrassing if he catches me staring at him again. I won't be surprised if this guy could see even with closed eyes.

Gandalf is sitting with Aragorn again tonight. He never sleeps early. He always sits and smokes for a while. In fact now that I think about it I've never stayed up enough to see him go to sleep. Sometimes I just think maybe wizards don't sleep at all. He laughed loudly when I asked him that a while ago. But he didn't answer me specifically. I took it as a 'no, we also do sleep' kind of an answer. I'm not convinced though.

Watching Gandalf smoke his pipe and making beautiful shapes with the smoke makes me sleepy. I yawn and stretch my painful body. Maybe I could ask Gandalf to fix my feet with some magic. That would be amazing.

...

I splash cold water on my face to get the sleepiness out of my eyes. It's the only trick I have for getting up this early and it works perfectly. But it also makes me freeze in the early morning's cold weather. After cleaning up properly I walk back to the group refreshed and abnormally happy.

"You seem happier than usual Freya. What's going on?" Frodo asks me with wonder.

"Yeah. Don't know why. I just feel better suddenly. I'm getting used to it I guess." I shrug and smile at my friends. They all seem happy that the morning grumpiness seems to be gone.

I notice my feet feel much better this morning when I walk. In fact I don't feel any pain. I sit in a corner to take a look at my bandages. I should thank Aragorn again. Looks like his medicine has done its job perfectly. But what I see when I open the bandages surprises me. How could a green paste heal the wounds overnight? Is this normal? The skin is clear under the green paste. No sign of the ugly wounds anywhere. It was like nothing ever happened to them. I clean my feet with a wet cloth and call Aragorn. "Hey, Aragorn. Can you come here for a second?"

He finishes packing his bedroll and walks over to me. "What is it Freya? Are your feet bothering you?" He asks and sits next to me. I point to my clean and now very unscarred feet.

"Was this supposed to heal this quickly?" I ask, wondering if it was some sort of elf medicine. Magical maybe.

He frowns when he sees that all my wounds are gone. I suppose it's not normal then. "Well, it's a good thing that you're healed but I've never seen this happen before." He was confused just like me. "Maybe Gandalf did something to help?" He offers and then turns around and calls the wizard.

It seems Gandalf didn't know about my situation and he wasn't involved. I don't know maybe my body's adjusting to this world and it has changed a bit then. It's a good thing that I heal faster now. Right? Well Gandalf doesn't like my logic and he makes me tell him everything about last night. I do and he examines my feet carefully afterwards.

"It's a curious thing my dear. Curious indeed." He tells me when I finish explaining how I wrapped my feet last night.

"It's not a big deal Gandalf, right? I mean it's good, isn't it?" I ask the silent wizard. He turns his blue eyes to me and smiles that kind smile of his.

"Don't worry my child. You are alright. You don't need to concern yourself with this for now. But if something else happens, tell me." He patted my head and stood up, getting ready to leave.

"Something else? Like what?" I ask, confused. It's just a medical condition. I heal fast. Probably.

The wizard turns to me again. Thinking about his words before actually saying anything. "Yes. Like something unusual. Things you can't explain for example." He provides.

I nod my head in understanding. Of course I don't exactly understand what Gandalf says the times when he hits his mystery phase like now. But it's ok. It's not that important anyway. I'm sure he's just being too careful. All I care about for now is that I don't have to walk on those painful wounds anymore so everything is fine with me.

I quickly gather my stuff and walk to everyone else. I catch an apple merry throws my way and we start walking. My legs are gonna be damn toned when we're done with this trip. That's for sure.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

 **Author's note:** Hello everyone.

I'm so so so very sorry. I know I've been gone forever and I haven't updated the story for so long. Life got busy and honestly I was being a bit lazy.

I've read all your reviews and I'm very thankful for your support. You guys are amazing.

I'm a bit out of practice but it's already getting better. I apologize in advance if this chapter sounds a bit strange at first. I'll probably get back in the mood of the story very soon.

Give me your ideas and reviews please. They give me so much energy.

Love you all. J

Mira

 **Chapter eleven**

Nothing strange has happened in the last few days of our journey. And I mean that as a good thing. I don't want to fight a pack of orcs anytime soon, or ever, if you ask me. I'm beginning to lose count of the days we've been out in the open. Don't get me wrong, cause I'm sort of loving the experience. Everyday spent with the fellowship teaches me new stuff. In fact I'm beginning to realize what a useless person I was before. Hypothetically speaking, if my world was to go through apocalyptic phase, I'm not sure I would have survived that long on my own. But here, I'm getting better.

Thinking of my old life now is like looking back at old pictures. I remember the good memories and friends, I remember my apartment, my job, my possessions, but deep down I don't wanna live those moments again. They're in the past and in my memory staying safe. I don't wanna go back, at least not yet.

All that said it's not all fun and dreamy here. My main problem is still with me every day. Privacy. It's like the damn thing doesn't exist here. Well I am in a peculiar situation, I get it, but still a girl is a girl.

I was right that time when we reached a lake and I tried to enjoy the bath while I could. We haven't come across any sort of lake I can wash in properly. It isn't easy to take a bath with nine male companions on a quest to destroy an evil ring. I've found a way around it though. I've begun to wash daily with a wet towel away from the eyes of my friends. Specially Legolas who seems to see and hear everything. Seriously, it's not easy trying to hide things from an elf. So far I've managed to avoid any other naked incident with him. Thankfully.

"Lady Freya, that's too much. If you put so much firewood in it, the fire will get too big". Sam's voice stops my train of thoughts just before I get to the dangerous parts of my memory.

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't really paying attention." I take out two big pieces of wood to fix the fire as Sam says, silently scolding myself for being so careless.

As the meat sausages start sizzling in the pan, I get up and take a look around. Everyone has settled down in a corner, waiting for lunch. Merry and Pippin are busy practicing swordfight with Boromir. Legolas is away from the rest of us, standing alone on top of a big rock and scanning the area. Gandalf is smoking his pipe near me.

"If anyone were to ask for my opinion, which I note they have not, I would say we are taking the long way round". Gimli says facing Gandalf. As far as I know we are gonna try to pass the gap of Rohan. If it is open to us as Gandalf once said.

"Gandalf, we can pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome." Gimli continues, looking proud when he speaks of his cousin.

That's not what concerns me. I've seen this Mines of Moria on the map but I never thought it's also a passage to the other side of the Misty Mountains.

"No, Gimli. I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." Gandalf replies with a worried expression.

Gimli nods his head in understanding and leaves the matter alone. I sigh and relax, obviously relieved. I have nothing against dwarves but I'm not a fan of mines and underground places.

"You don't like mines Freya?" Gandalf asks me, curious about my reaction.

"Well, I can't know for sure since I've never been in one. But I rather stay on the ground while I can than go under it. I have a feeling it must be damp and full of bugs." I say that in a low voice so Gimli wouldn't hear me. I don't wanna offend him.

"Let us just hope for the best my dear. If our luck holds we don't need to even think about Moria." Gandalf says, his mood a little improved with my comment about bugs.

Yes we've been lucky for almost two weeks. I just hope we don't run out of it anytime soon.

Among the clash of swords I can hear Frodo laughing with everyone. It's one of those rare moments he actually laughs. I was told about how he went through hell in the first part of his journey. Facing the black riders and getting stabbed. Poor guy deserves some fun.

Just when I'm joining in with the laugh, Legolas darts past us and jumps on top of another stone to get a good vantage point of our left side. Gandalf and I turn toward him, both worried. What did he see? At first I can't see anything, just the clear blue sky stretching in front of us. But a few seconds later I begin to see a dark shape forming in the sky. It's hard to tell what it is but it wasn't there a moment ago.

"What is that?" asks Sam.

"Nothing… it's just a wisp of cloud". Gimli answers back dismissively. I don't agree with him. Clouds don't just pop out of nowhere.

"It's moving fast… against the wind." Boromir says, clearly worried.

I look at Legolas. He's really the only one with perfect eyesight. What is it? Just when we were talking about our good luck it decided to leave us? Really?

"Crebain from Dunland". I jump when Legolas shouts that. I don't know what Crebain is, but from the turmoil I see around me when Aragorn urges us to hide, I guess it's not anything friendly. Everyone is running around, grabbing our bags and putting the fire out. I look around and get myself together, trying to decide on an acceptable hiding place. I'm moving to jump behind a big rock and hope it's a good hiding place when a hand grabs my wrist and drags me to a nearby big rock covered with a thick bush. Legolas. He goes in first and before I can protest pulls me in.

In all that haste I lose my balance, fall forward and end up sitting on his lap. There's nowhere else to sit really. I forget about hiding for a second, my heart begins its usual song, thumping loudly. Legolas wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to his chest so he can cover the opening with the thick bush, pulling it down so we won't be seen. As if I already wasn't embarrassed enough. Legolas remains unperturbed though, his eyes scanning the sky.

I'm an idiot. I know it's just me whose heart is racing for a simple embrace. But I'm not used to men. In my defense I never had an intimate relationship with a guy. So it's pretty natural to act like this right? I know he's out of my league. At least I can pretend it's the possible danger that's causing my heart to race like this.

Before I can think of my excuses more than this, the loud cawing of the birds hits my ears and I freeze in place, remembering the actual danger we're hiding from and I stop breathing. They sound like crows, evil crows. For a second I think of Hitchcock's movies. I close my eyes, clutching Legolas's shoulders, and pray these birds just leave us alone.

After a minute or two the noises slowly die down and they're gone again. A hand squeezes my back bringing me back to reality. I open my eyes and find Legolas's face an inch away from mine, his eyes searching mine in an attempt to calm me down. Apparently clinging to him is becoming a habit of mine. A habit very harmful for my heart. I try to back up a bit but he still hasn't let go.

I know it's not the right time to complain when he helped me but there really isn't much space in here and I don't know why he's staring at me like that. He's unreadable. I'm practically sitting on his lap with my chest pressed tight to his. My head keeps telling me this isn't appropriate. And it's embarrassing. His intense gaze doesn't help me either.

"Um thanks Legolas. Is it safe now? … they're gone, aren't they?" I ask Legolas, glancing at his eyes for just a second before averting mine. He seems to be worried for a second, maybe it's my frantic heart beat that's got him worried, but then his eyes zoom out and he looks down at our bodies pressed together and then at my flushed face as I try to get away. Apparently just realizing the position he has put us in. His eyes get their mischievous twinkle back. I feel the bastard beginning to switch to his teasing mood for a short moment but then there's shuffling around us and he looks around at our companions who are coming out of their shelters one by one and lets it go, probably deciding it's not the time. Thank God for that cause I couldn't keep my heart in check for a second longer. Not that I've been doing a good job so far anyway.

I stand up, brushing the dust off and look toward the south to hide my blushing cheeks. The birds are going back the way they've come from. Not natural.

"Spies of Saruman. The passage South is being watched." Gandalf is both worried and pissed off at the same time.

There goes our luck. So south is no longer an option. Gandalf turns around and looks toward the snowy mountain. I just hope he's not…

"We must take the pass of Caradhras".

And he said it.

Okay I'm pretty sure I'm not dressed for that.

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None of us wanted to go through the mountains. The pass of Caradhras doesn't look like a pass to me at all. From here it seems impossible to go through it. One wrong move will be the death of us. But I don't say anything. I'm here and I should go with the decision of Gandalf, no matter what it is. He kind of is my guardian here after all.

We camp for the night in a very uncomfortable spot. That is out in the open. We have no other choice since there isn't any cover around. I try to clear the rocky ground from sharp stones that are planning to stab me in the back while I sleep. The hobbits and Gimli don't care much about it though. They're already fast sleep. We put our bedrolls much closer to each other's to stay warmer without a fire.

I sit on my bedroll and look around, trying to see in the shadows of the night. It's a good thing they don't put me on watch duty. I'm terrible at it.

"Not going to sleep little one?" Comes the melodic voice of Legolas.

I look up at him and shrug. "I… I don't exactly feel tired tonight".

He raises his eyebrows and grins a bit, knowing too well that I'm lying. "What is it?"

I look around a bit, deciding it's pointless trying to hide things from my elf friend. "Nothing, it's just… I feel uneasy. Like I'm being watched…, you know. We're too… exposed here". I finish my rambling, frustrated at the situation.

Legolas sits beside me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's natural being uneasy. We all are. But this is our path. Gandalf and I are on watch. Nothing's getting past my eyes. I promise you". He gives me a reassuring smile and stands back up. "Rest now. You need to keep your strength."

I watch him go back to Gandalf and take a final look around. Finally deciding to ignore the surrounding, I lie down beside Frodo and pull my blanket over my head. Using the old-fashioned method of if you can't see the monsters they can't see you either. Stupid yes, but there's nothing else I can do. I can't shake off this unnerving feeling of being watched.

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Darkness.

I can't see.

It's all dark.

I reach out. My fingers touch nothing in the empty dead air.

The darkness is stretching in every direction. I walk blindly through it, to find a way out. Where is this place? Where is everyone? I'm afraid to call out. Did they leave me behind?

"Come…" I hear a distant voice from my right. So low it almost fades before it reaches my ears. I frown. Goosebumps form on my arms. The voice is raspy and unpleasant. I don't know it. I don't think I've ever heard it before.

"Come… Freya…"

I listen carefully when I hear my name, confused. What's going on? My legs start moving on their own and I walk toward the voice. I try to stop it but I can't. It's like they're not mine anymore. I don't trust the voice. What's happening?

"I can feel you… come out…" This time the voice is harsher, closer, dragging each single syllable.

I try to turn away from it. Panic hits me when I can't. This isn't good, not natural. Am I dead? Dreaming perhaps? Or under a spell?

"Freyaaa… Freayaaa…" the voice whispers. I feel a chill run down my spine. His voice is getting closer. I don't like it. I'm afraid.

Then I see a light. No, flames. Angry bright flames. Something's in there, a black figure, faceless in the flames. I feel the fear choking me. The desperation of not being able to run from it brings tears to my eyes.

"Come to me…" It says. The black figure opens his arms. "I feel you…".

My body moves toward the flames uncontrollably. Tears run down my face, feeling hopeless and scared. The figure comes closer, or maybe I'm going to him. His arms reaching out to grab me blindly as if he can't see me just yet. Just a few more inches and he can catch me.

I resist as hard as I can. Focusing, I don't know on what. It's like trying to keep a door closed, pushing on it as hard as I can. As I'm struggling with my unknown enemy someone grabs me from behind.

I scream. I scream uncontrollably at the top of my lungs. He caught me.

I trash around and fight the strong arms keeping me prisoner.

"Freya… Freya…" I gasp and try harder to get free.

I hear a loud voice chanting in an incomprehensible language. A wind hits me and the flames go out and the dark figure goes away with it. A warm hand touches my forehead and I open my eyes again. I didn't realize they were closed.

Darkness is gone. It's the early hours of the morning. I can't see right through the tears and someone is screaming.

"Freya… please… wake up". I know that melodic voice and in an instant I realize I'm the one screaming.

My throat burns when I stop. The energy leaves me and I stop moving around. Focusing, I blink back the tears and the beautiful face of an elf comes into my view. Legolas.

A dream. It was just a dream. I'm not alone. They didn't leave me behind.

"Freya…" Legolas looks at me worried and puts a hand on my cheek. Tears begin to fill my eyes again. I was never happier to see anyone in my life. The one who grabbed me was Legolas, not anything evil. Then I realize we're not alone. All other eight members of the fellowship are gathered around us, looking worried and even scared. I pull back from the elf slowly.

"I… I'm sorry. I think… a nightmare… it was… I…" I drop my head in shame. They must think me a child now. Having nightmares in the middle of the night, screaming and kicking.

"Look at me Freya." I hear Gandalf from behind me, his voice strange but not exactly unkind. As soon as I turn around, he grabs my face and looks deep into my eyes, his own eyes looking tired and worried. I don't know what he's doing or looking for but after a few seconds he lets me go and relaxes back, his eyes warming up again.

"We should be thankful you are strong enough my dear." He says smiling. "For a moment there, I thought we lost you."

I look at him, confused. Apparently everyone but me already knows what he's talking about. They all exhale and relax.

I look from one person to the other. They all looked like they've seen a ghost.

"What happened?" I ask Gandalf, still trying to stop the dizziness. I'm not stupid enough to believe it was just one insignificant nightmare after seeing the terror in my friend's eyes.

Gandalf takes a long look at me but says nothing.

"We are not sure Freya. For now it is enough that you're alright." Aragorn says, giving me a reassuring smile. I know he's trying to keep me calm.

I take a deep breath and sit up straight, noticing Legolas suddenly letting go of my hands. Looks like none of us was aware we're still holding on to each other's hands. He looks at me. I see he's thinking hard for a second but as soon as I see it, it's gone and the mask is back in place. I wish I was as good as him when it came to hiding feelings.

"Here Freya, drink this". Pippin hands me a skin of water. I accept it gratefully and drink a big gulp of water. It's like I was really close to that creepy fire in the dream. That's not possible but I know something was not right. Something was very very wrong.

"Gandalf please, even if you can guess, please tell me". I almost beg the wizard.

His expression turns sad and soft. "It is as I feared".

"Sauron knows of your arrival".


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

 **Author's note:** Hey guys. So here's the next chapter. I'm personally happy with this one. Thank you for reading my story and leaving reviews. Reviews are seriously the highlight of this fanfiction writing for me. They make me so happy.

Please tell me what you think. Ideas and comments, as always, are welcome.

Love you all. J

Mira

 **Chapter Twelve**

"As I have previously told you, lady Galadriel had a vision of you arriving in here Freya, my dear. We do not know why yet but we were expecting you. It is not entirely shocking that Sauron also had knowledge of this". Gandalf explains carefully. Yes Lord Elrond mentioned that he'd been expecting me but…

"I know you must be confused, suddenly dragged into a foreign realm, not knowing the reason". He continues, answering my unasked question.

"Lady Galadriel believes you shall have a role in the events of the future, for good or evil. But we cannot know for sure. Not yet."

I feel nauseous. Did he say good or evil? "Wait a minute, you said good or evil. What do you mean Gandalf? You don't mean that I …" I can't exactly finish my sentence. How is it possible? How could I be…? Is that why that voice asked me to go to him?

"Now my dear, it is but a mere possibility. No one what the future holds for sure". Gandalf pats my head affectionately, feeling my discomfort. I nod my head in agreement but I'm still so afraid of the possibility of Sauron being after me.

Gandalf is worried at first so he makes me explain the dream to him with all the tiny details. The voice, the figure, everything. I do my best and afterwards he is more relaxed, saying Sauron didn't know of my place or that I'm actually this close to his ring of power, and that we must keep it this way. That was good but I'm still anxious. Anxious he may come back in my head and this time catch me. I don't ask what would've happened if Sauron was actually successful in catching me and Gandalf doesn't mention it either. But I felt it would be the end for me or maybe even the beginning of life in hell. I don't know but the thought of him coming again seriously freaks me out.

Taking precautions, Gandalf puts some protective spells on me to prevent further invasion in my dreams. 'Until we reach Lothlorien and lady Galadriel' he says. I don't have any complaints but I'm not planning to go back to sleep. I don't dare. The sky is brightening up anyway and I don't have enough courage to close my eyes anymore.

So we gather our things and move on toward the pass of Caradhras in silence. I really hope this Lady Galadriel is a super powerful woman so he can help me understand what the hell is going on? And possibly figure out why I'm here.

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The last two days passed without me even noticing. My head was full of useless things. Everyone has been trying to distract me somehow, Gandalf more than anyone else. He's been close to me ever since that night, speaking of fascinating adventures and quests he had over his long years in Middle Earth. When I ask him how long does he exactly mean by long years, he just laughs and shakes his head, "A long time my dear, longer than you can imagine". Well it is Gandalf we're talking about. You know how he loves his secrets. It is working, the distract Freya with anything you can think of plan my friends had been brewing for me, and I'm beginning to see it's useless to worry. There's nothing I can do at the moment and worrying myself to death won't fix anything.

I decide it's about time I cut it out. So today as we walked up, or more accurately put, tried to walk up, the snow covered outskirts of the mountain, I walked with Boromir, Gimli and the hobbits. Even being in the presence of Merry and Pippin lifts your spirit drastically and that was my first solution. And the next thing I knew I was talking and laughing with them.

"Ah lassie, it's good to have ye smiling again". Gimli says with affection.

"Well it is thanks to you guys. I mean you can't have a snowball fight with your friends and not laugh". I chuckle, remembering how surprised I was when Boromir threw me the first snowball. You don't usually expect a man like Boromir, The Captain of the White Tower, to do that, do you? It hit me right in the face, eliciting laughs from all around me. After the initial shock passed, I couldn't even stop the laughter myself.

"We are soaked though. I don't fancy catching a cold but it was worth it". Pippin said cheerfully.

"It's a shame Aragorn stopped us". I say, chuckling, looking back to Aragorn and Legolas, walking a bit behind us. Legolas catches my eyes and I give him a big grin, remembering what happened a few minutes ago. He smiles back, amused with my change of behavior.

Well let me explain it like this. We were all absorbed in throwing snowballs at each other, leaving Gandalf, Legolas and Aragorn, who were all keeping their distance, out of it. Our game stopped when Gimli decided it would be fun to throw a heavy snowball at Legolas who was walking gracefully on top of the snow in front of us. He mumbled something about messing up his pretty hair in between. I totally understood where that came from. These two are not exactly the best of friends really. But seriously, if you're walking comfortably like that while your friends are up to the knee in the snow (some of them are even having a worse time than that), you actually deserve to be hit, right? Yes you do.

I don't know, maybe he heard us, or maybe he is just that perfect, but in the last moment he dodged and the snowball hit Gandalf in the back, making Gimli flush with embarrassment as the wizard looked at us.

…And then Aragorn made us stop, the always mindful father he is. That's how it ended. We all did have a good laugh though. I think everyone was happy I was back to normal that they didn't scold us but anyway Legolas moved back to walk with Aragorn and of course to stay away from our wandering snowballs, just in case.

I decide today is a good day.

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Or maybe not.

We've stopped for the night, finding shelter in a hidden cave. Even though we're in a cave, Gandalf doesn't risk a big fire. He only allowed us to make a small one so that the hobbits won't freeze to their death in the cold. The smoke would still be visible to the wandering orcs in the mountain.

I'm sitting in a corner shivering and have my blanket all wrapped up around me so that only my eyes and forehead is out. Funny, yes, but it is cold. Really really cold. I don't wanna complain since my hobbit friends have a really harder time than me. Being short, they've been in the snow up to their chest for hours. By the time we made it to the cave the poor guys were turning blue. That's why I pushed them near the fire and put extra blankets on them. Maybe we shouldn't have fooled around in the snow so much. I don't know.

It could've been worse. I choose cold weather over orcs and black riders any day.

I try to think of warm things. Like a warm bath, warm bed, even my hair drier back home. Maybe even Legolas… hmm. OH NO. NO NO NO. Stop it you damn perverted mind. You're gonna get me in trouble. I shake off the mental image threatening to slowly fill all my thoughts and focus on the little flames, rubbing my hands together under the blanket to get warmer. I seriously have the worst luck. Aside from the bone freezing cold, it's also that time of month for me. My body is complaining for the unusual excessive hiking I put it through for this long. I just want my bed at Rivendell right now.

"Freya, are you alright? You seem very cold". Boromir crouches down beside me, concern showing on his face.

"N…nope. I…It's al…r…right really. I'm get…ting warmer". I try to hide the chattering of my teeth in vain.

He sighs and sits beside me. "You're almost blue. Stop lying". He says, pulling me toward himself so I'm pressed to his side with my cocoon and all.

"We must look really funny". I chuckle weakly at the image, a mighty warrior and a freezing girl in a cocoon. Boromir laughs too, telling me to rest before his turn to watch begins. Legolas is already out on watch, again. Sometimes I think the guy doesn't sleep at all. Elf and all, he needs rest too, doesn't he? Gandalf and Aragorn are also smoking together at the entrance of the cave. Having Gandalf close assures me that nothing bad would happen when I close my eyes.

I mumble my thanks to Boromir, lean more into his side and close my eyes. His body warmth is slowly sipping through my blanket and getting me warmer and before I can confirm anything else I slowly drift off to sleep.

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A slight movement and shift beside me wakes me up. Cracking one eye open lazily I see blond hair. I'm not sure whether I'm awake or sleep but Boromir is gone.

I feel gentle hands open up my blanket. The cold air hits me. I shiver involuntarily. Then the familiar scent of the forest fills my nose and my mind finally registers something. Legolas is back. My head is too foggy for anything beyond that, let alone talking.

He pulls me to his chest, his back resting on the wall of the cave. Maybe I am dreaming after all. I'm not sure Legolas would do this so openly. I don't care. He wraps the blanket around both of us, his hand drawing soothing circles on my back, warming me up. I instantly relax in the warmth of his arms and hum happily, not caring about being appropriate at the moment, breathing his scent deep into my lungs. Friends can snuggle together, right? Yes they can. I just decided that. My eyelids are extremely heavy with sleep. I sigh and let sleep take over me once more.

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I'm really embarrassed. I just woke up to an amused Legolas, leaning against the wall of the cave, looking absolutely divine up close. As soon as I realize that this is real and not some stupid fantasy of mine, I jump back, letting go of the elf and sitting straight. I was clinging to him again. Wrapping my arms around his chest and all.

"Good morning." Legolas says, a bit too happy this early in the morning. But well it's Legolas we're talking about after all.

"G…Good morning. Um… sorry I…" Sorry what? What am I gonna say?

Wait a minute… it's not like I went and hugged him in the middle of the night. He was the one who did it. Why am I apologizing?

He's watching me closely, reading all my thoughts probably. "When I came back last night… Boromir said you're shivering and he was worried you may get seriously sick. I thought I would help you with that." He says, his eyes still fixed on me, their blue dancing, inviting me. For what, I have no clue.

"It's ok, thank you Legolas". I snap out of it since everyone else is stirring already, our little camp waking up. "I might have really died of cold. How is it that you guys seem totally alright? Don't you feel the cold?"

"We are warriors little one. We have been exposed to harsher circumstances each in our own way. And I am an Elf. I am not affected by cold as much as you are." He says, picking up his habit of calling me names again. "You are fragile my lady, must be treated carefully". Here we go again. His eyes sparkle with amusement at my annoyed expression.

"I am NOT fragile". I huff and stand up, gathering my stuff.

Legolas jumps to his feet effortlessly and hands me my pack, grinning victoriously. He turns me toward himself and pulls me close, tightening the straps of my cloak casually.

OKAY. I have a problem. I react too much to everything he does but… Legolas is just… well he is Legolas. I already decided that he's just having some harmless fun. Despite all that internal monologue, I blush when he strokes my hair. "Hmm… Is that so my lady?"

Is what so? What? What were we talking about? … Oh, the 'I'm not fragile' thing.

"Hurry up. We must make haste. Time is of the essence here". Gandalf says from the opening of the cave, freeing me from the elf's irresistible charm by giving me an excuse to run away. And run away I do.

We all move out and as usual have our breakfast on the way. Not healthy but well we are on a perilous journey after all, even though I get distracted by other things most of the time. One thing in particular, really.

We walk for a few hours in the snow until we reach another cave. It's too early to stop but we can use this opportunity to warm up the hobbits.

"We stop for a short while. Aragorn, make a fire. We must feed them some warm soup to recover from the cold". Gandalf says, obviously worried for Frodo who is seriously pale.

"Gandalf I do not think this is the best way. Why don't we go through the gap of Rohan?" Boromir says, gesturing to our four small companions.

"No Boromir. That would be even more dangerous. That path is being watched. We would be walking into a trap". Gandalf answers, he motions for me to go forward. I do.

"Here my dear. Hold on to these while I check the map". He hands me his hat and staff and begins searching his robes for the long forgotten map stuffed in a hidden pocket. Gandalf turns around and they begin discussing the route again.

I look at the strange staff in my hand and for a second forget everything else. It's fascinating how this is a part of a magical world. A part of my fantasy. Magic. I shift it around in my hand and feel the grip. I haven't seen Gandalf use it for daily matters. Just once or twice really. Like that time in the council when we all had a close heart attack.

I move closer to Aragorn who is putting small pieces of dry wood together to make fire. "If I was a witch making a fire would be really easy". I say to Gimli, laughing.

I make a gesture toward the firewood with the staff and mimic Gandalf's voice. "BURN". I'm ready to burst into laughter when I feel something. For a fraction of a second I feel the wooden staff warm up in my hand. I look at it in my hands and to my surprise it seems to be weakly vibrating, like a cell phone. I frown. I want to call Gandalf when gasps of shock all around me make me stop and look back up again. The fire. There's a fire. Where did that come from? Did Aragorn…?

"Gandalf". Aragorn calls the wizard.

"I didn't mess with it Gandalf. I just… I was joking but IT did something." I'm shocked. I have no idea what I'm saying or what actually happened but I'm pretty sure the staff did something. I didn't know it could do that on its own. It's dangerous to hand it over to other people.

Gandalf doesn't yell at me like I expect him to. He just gently takes the staff from my trembling hands and moves closer to the fire, inspecting it. What happened? Why is everyone acting like I did it? I didn't. I was just joking. It shouldn't even be possible.

"Hmm…curious. Freya." Gandalf calls.

"Y…Yes Gandalf. I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?"

"It's quite alright child. Don't be scared." He says. Apparently my face is showing all my inner feelings at the moment. Images of my dream come back to me. I look at Gandalf again. He seems to be inspecting me now, through narrow eyes.

"You didn't tell me you could use magic." He says critically. What?

"I… magic… I… Gandalf I…I can't use magic. Magic isn't even real where I come from. Well at least as far as I know". I stutter. "The staff did it. Not me". I look at everyone's shocked expressions. Well everyone but Gandalf. He's not at all shocked. The old man even seems… amused. Maybe even happy? It's either that or I'm losing my sense of judgement. Or my mind. Possibly both.

"Do not panic my friends. This was quite foreseeable." He says to all of us. Gandalf gets everyone to sit around the now burning fire. Everyone but me of course. I'm still waiting for him to cut out his joke and explain.

"Freya, are you sure you never once did anything like this? Anything… unusual?" He asks, carefully examining my face for any sign.

"No. No I didn't do that". I get myself together and gesture toward the staff. "The staff did. I… how can I even…? It's impossible". I finish, almost talking to myself, to convince myself somehow. What's with this line of events? Every time I think I coped with something new, another issue presents itself, saying hello Freya. Please add me to the list of freaky incidents of the late. At this point I begin to see the possibility of this all being in my head. My crazy, fantasy-lover mind is probably keeping me busy in my own wonderland while I rot in a coma.

"What is a coma?" I hear Aragorn's voice. I look at him, frowning. Did I…?

"I believe you were talking to yourself out loud". Legolas provides. "But what is a coma? Why do you think you're rotting?"

I'm at a loss for words. Not now… "Well, it's… a somehow a state of unconsciousness?" That confused them further I think. "Like passing out and not waking up for, months, years maybe." Now they get it.

"You are in no such state Freya. You are here. This is real." Gandalf takes my arms and shakes me a bit, probably to wake me from my confused state. I look at him, worried. I really hope he is right and this is all not an illusion I'm having in a hospital.

"As for what happened here, the staff cannot do such things on its own my dear. To ordinary people, it is just a piece of wood". His voice is calm and reassuring as if there's nothing to worry about.

"Gandalf what are you saying? It must have done it. I'm human. I AM ordinary". I say, frustrated that I have to state the obvious.

"Oh no my dear child. The day you stepped into Middle Earth I was sure that you are nothing like that. Otherwise there would no point in you coming here at all. Don't you agree?" Gandalf is a bit happy. Weird guy. Really.

"I'm not sure I'm following? You think I have magic? And that is good? That's the reason I'm here?" I ask, trying to put the pieces of his puzzle together. But one thing is off. "You forgot that I'm human, right?"

"No I have not. You ARE human." Gandalf says, looking at me as if I'm stupid. "But you have a bit of something extra in you it seems".

"Extra. What extra?" I ask stupidly, looking from one person to the other. Everyone's listening in carefully.

"Magic of course. And that is a good thing". Gandalf finishes the argument. I frown and measure the possibility of him joking. Okay, not very probable. So does that mean I have magic? As in am I a witch or something like that? I did travel through a portal so why would the idea of using magic would be impossible. My fantasy-lover side kicks in and I feel a rush of excitement go through me. Magic. I'm busy with the scenarios in my head when Gandalf's voice once more breaks my line of thoughts.

"Of course since you say there is no magic in your world, there is also the possibility of you actually belonging here. Hmmm… it could be… yes. But well we will have to wait and see. Yes. Very good".

What the hell?


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

 **Author's note:** Hey guys. I finally wrote another one. I've been so lazy this summer. Sorry.

As always, thanks for reading my story and leaving reviews.

Please tell me what you think. Ideas and comments are welcome.

Love you all. J

Mira

 **Chapter Thirteen**

I can't sleep. The moment my eyes warm up and I feel myself drifting off to sleep, something starts buzzing annoyingly. Like my cell phone vibrating on my nightstand, but not quiet. Of course I have no cell phone with me so my next best guess is a bug. I'm not sure bugs would be alive at this temperature but still it might be a creepy middle earthy bug that I don't know about. No one else seems to notice it, since they all fell sleep easily. And Aragorn, who is on watch, kept saying he can't hear anything and that I'm probably just nervous because of everything that has happened to me lately. Can't argue with that. It does make a lot more sense than my cell phone or tough bug idea. In any case, once more I decide pulling the blanket over my head is the best idea since I hate the thought of bugs crawling all over me.

It's all gone now. I only hear the soft occasional snoring of the guys around me, mostly Gimli. I think of Gandalf staff again. The way it vibrated and the fire and everyone's eyes on me. I can still see the hopeful look in Gandalf's eyes. He might think of me as some sort of extra help they got. But I'm useless. I'm just… well ME. I feel uncomfortable not being able to deliver what is expected of me. Of course there's nothing they expect of me now. I know that. But still.

I don't know how long I slept but the buzzing was back again and I woke up, cursing inaudibly at that annoying sound. It's getting louder. I can feel it coming from my left. I sigh, exhausted. I know I wouldn't be able to sleep if I don't check it out so I slowly lift the blanket and take a look to my left. Nothing unusual, not on the ground, in the air or on the wall of the cave. And Frodo doesn't seem to be bothered by it since he is sleeping soundly right over there. I lie down again and turn to the other side. Enough is enough. I'm being paranoid.

"Freeeyyaaaa…" I freeze as the raspy voice hits me from behind, this time not unfamiliar at all. I know exactly what it is this time. My body goes as cold as the snow on the mountain.

"I can feel you. Come to me Freyaaa…"

That's it. I jump out of my bedroll and walk to the mouth of the cave, where Aragorn is sitting by himself. I feel a sudden need to scream and tell him to do something but I don't. I can't disturb everyone just because I'm probably being mental. I stand in front of him, keeping my eyes back on my little friend still in deep sleep. A small part of me expects to see an evil face hidden in the shadows instead of the sweet face I know as Frodo. Like when you've just watched a super scary movie alone and see the horrors of it in every corner of your apartment. But that's not true. It's just Frodo sleeping.

"Freya. What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." The ranger asks me, putting aside his pipe and taking my shivering hands in his. I look back at him for a second, unsure of how to put this. "Tell me." He encourages me to go on. I take another look at Frodo and Aragorn raises his eyebrows, confused.

"It's… well… I'm not sure, but… well I'm hearing things." I say in a hushed voice, glancing at his eyes, shifting uncomfortably. I decide I'm a bit too shaken to be standing so I sit on his other side, almost as far as the sleeping camp as possible. There's a shift from behind Aragorn and I jump again. The only thing keeping me from darting out of that cave is Aragorn's hand still holding on to me.

" _What is it my friend?"_

It's Legolas. I put my forehead in my hands miserably. The one night Legolas is sleeping and I woke the poor guy up. He gets up and walks over to us, only seeing me in the shadows behind Aragorn then. "Freya. What is it? You can't sleep?" He asks me gently.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." I look up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, I've been jumpy lately. I know I shouldn't bother you guys. You have a lot on your plate already. The last thing you need is a stupid girl having nightmares and taking your precious resting hours from you. Ugh and I tried so hard to not be a burden but… I was right… I told Gliriel this would happen and I… I'm too weak and…"

"Freya. Stop and take a deep breath. We do not think you a burden. And you don't make much sense when you ramble on like that. Focus. You were just telling me about the things you were…uh…hearing." Aragorn stops my endless train of thoughts, squeezing my shoulder encouragingly. I realize I have been rambling on. To myself really. I look at both of them apologetically and take a deep breath. The voice.

"Well I was telling Aragorn that uh I keep hearing things. At first I thought it's a bug or something but then…" My voice gets lower. I'm not even sure myself. I may be imagining things. I notice Legolas taking my shaking hand in his.

"I think it's talking to me." I finish miserably. The hold on my hand gets tighter. I look at the blue eyes staring at me worriedly.

"Did you have another dream of Sauron?" Aragorn asks, frowning. "But Gandalf put the spells. It shouldn't be…"

I cut him off. "No, it's not that. I… wasn't sleep. I meant IT was talking to me." That even sounded ridiculous to me. "I know it's crazy." I take another look at the sleeping hobbit. Aragorn and Legolas follow my gaze.

"I'm sorry." I don't know why I'm apologizing but I have absolutely no idea what's going on.

"I just couldn't stay close to him right now. It's uh… well scary. You know? I don't mean Frodo, not him at all. Just that stupid ring is creeping me out. It WAS talking to me… I think or I may be going insane." I finish my fragmented argument and hope they both understand and tell me I'm not totally insane.

"The ring of power is an evil force Freya. It can try to persuade people by entering their mind. You're not crazy." Aragorn gives me a reassuring nod. "They're the same really. The ring and the dark lord. You must NOT listen to it."

I nodded quickly. I couldn't even think about listening to that creepy voice. I mean I have to be crazy crazy to want to go to THAT. Whatever that Sauron guy is, I can tell he doesn't have any concern for my wellbeing.

"It might be a good idea to keep your distance from it for now." Legolas says. I couldn't agree more. All I wanted was to be with these guys not go to a shadowy freak who lived in a fiery… well, hell, possibly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o0

Gandalf had the same idea as Legolas when we told him what happened last night in the morning. And of course I didn't tell Frodo. He was already feeling so much pressure on his own. No need to give him something extra to worry about.

I decide to focus on something else entirely. Magic. Now that I was told of the possibility, I can't hold in my excitement at all. But Gandalf would not let me experiment with his staff. It's too dangerous to start with a strong staff he said. I could get myself killed. So I told him about the weird sounds and light humming noises I could hear from time to time, not like the creepy Sauron thing, but pleasant and familiar. Sometimes in my head and sometimes from the wooden staff the wizard carried.

"Hmm, that is a big step. Well, it's too early but maybe it's the exposure you had these few weeks or maybe the sudden shift of …" I could not make out the rest of what the wizard said since he was really just mumbling to himself.

"Gandalf, we're still here." Merry says that, impatient with the answer. Merry and Pippin are almost as excited as I am about this, if not more.

"Ah, yes, well my dear. That sound is related to it somehow." He says that, nodding thoughtfully and walks off.

Oh no. Not this time. I need a distraction and I think I deserve it too. "Gandalf, please. Give me something to do or else I'll go insane with other more depressing stuff." I beg and cling to his sleeve as I try to keep up through the snowy path. He huffs and glances at me.

"I suppose you are right." He looks at me with evaluating eyes and I give him my best 'I'm a good student, I won't bother you' smile. He seems to decide then.

"It might even be useful somehow. I don't have the time to train you as I like right now but we shall try with what time we have." Finally he agrees. I turn and give Thumbs up to Merry and Pippin who are right behind us, listening eagerly.

"The first lesson is concentration. You have to shape the energy around you and will it to do your bidding. Well maybe start with only concentrating the energy first. Just keep your attention on it. Give it your all. You don't need to do anything with it. Just try to acquaint yourself with the power. Acknowledging its existence is the first step after all."

And that was it. Hours later I was still at a loss. Maybe I didn't exactly get the grasp of Gandalf's meaning but it was not the time to disturb him now.

We've got to the worst part of the pass if you ask me. The current path we're trying to walk is narrow and I can't keep my mind focused on the magic, if I don't want to slip and fall to my death. The snow is so deep here that Aragorn and Boromir are carrying the hobbits in their arms so they won't be buried beneath it. Gimli is managing somehow with snow almost up to his chin. I'm shivering myself considering I'm not as tall as the guys. I wish I could walk like Legolas or maybe I could use magic to get warm. I tried that before too but it's either too advance for me or it's just impossible to think in this cold. I try to push through like everyone else.

Legolas shouts something alarmingly. About a voice and the air. I can't hear his exact words since his ahead of me. And well the weather isn't helping either. But I hear Gandalf's words of warning. "It's Saruman."

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf! We must turn back!" Aragorn shouts back at Gandalf. And I freak out. Aragorn is usually very calm. Can Saruman really do that?

"No." Gandalf yells and starts chanting. The sky darkens and angry rumbling sounds fill the air.

Seconds later before I have enough time to panic properly, lightning hits the mountain and the ground shakes. Everyone shouts and throws themselves to the wall, for shelter. I do the same when Gimli calls me, bringing me out of my daze. What's happening? Is Saruman here? Is it just our bad luck? My thoughts get cut off. Something heavy is falling on us. I cling to the rocky wall as hard as I can. Snow.

I think my bones are freezing. I can't see. There's snow in my eyes and my mouth. Can't breathe much either. I may be able to get out of it if I struggle hard. But the hardest movement I can make is just a bit of shifting and a lot of shivering. Someone grabs me and pulls me up then. Gandalf. I breathe again and try to thank him but my voice won't come out. It's just too cold. And I'm just at my limit. It's too much. Nothing in my life has ever prepared me for this.

"We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" I think it's Boromir who says that and they all start arguing. I'm too cold to care and I think I'm beginning to lose control of my legs. I don't follow the conversation. All I want is getting off this stupid snowy mountain right now. I don't care which way we go. Finally I hear Frodo saying we go through Moria, and Gandalf consenting to that. Moria isn't my first choice on a good day but right now anything seems better than this bone freezing cold even if it is underground.

"Alright then. We head back. Come on." They all start to move back when Gandalf says that. I try to do the same but on my third step lose my footing and fall in the snow again.

"Fuck." I curse under my breath and try to get myself up with my frozen hands. Gandalf looks at me with a worried expression.

"I… I'm …o…kay. L…let's …g…go." That doesn't sound good even to my ears.

"Legolas." Gandalf calls the elf. I hear him say something about 'the poor girl trying to hide something' and the phrase 'turning blue' is mentioned there. Whatever it is Legolas comes to me immediately and helps me up.

"T…t…thanks…" I manage to say and I start walking slowly again.

He holds me back and takes my hands. He takes off my gloves. I look at him surprised but I really can't say the words, too cold to talk. He does understand though.

"You're really turning blue Freya." He says and brings my hands to his face, blowing his warm breath on them. My fingertips start to burn and I wince but let him do his job. It gets better in a few seconds.

"I…d…don't t…think it's t…that b…bad." I really try to laugh but I'm afraid the voice coming out of my mouth isn't really close to one.

He shakes the snow off my gloves and puts them back on for me. "Come here."

I look at his open arms and back at our friends walking away and although I really hate the stupid me for refusing his offer, I bring myself to say it." We p…probably sh…should catch up." I know I hate me for missing this chance.

"Yes, in a second. When I'm sure you won't be dying of cold." He answers back seriously before pulling me to his chest and wrapping his own cloak around both of us.

I immediately shut up and whimper in pleasure as the warmth embraces me, slowly spreading in my body. He holds me a bit tighter then and takes a deep breath, or maybe I'm delusional. His hands are rubbing my arms and back to get the blood flowing. It works too well as usual. I can feel the blood starting to flow a bit too fast, with my heart waking up and singing again. The warmth is absolutely incredible but all too soon his arms loosen around me and he lets me go. I don't. My arms stay wrapped around his body, tight.

"No no no. You s…see that was a mis…take. I can't let go of you now. It feels too good." I say stubbornly, pressing my face deeper in his chest selfishly. Not thinking at all of the double meaning my words may have to him.

He chuckles and judging from the sound of it I think he really liked what I said. Probably because he could tease me with this for like a really long time. Bastard. I didn't mean it like that. Whatever. I don't care. This feels too good and I just can't lie right now.

"Understood my lady, but we cannot linger here. It's too dangerous, remember?" He says, his voice sounding awfully pleased and smug. His right hand strokes my head.

Oh. I actually did forget. Ughh, me and my stupid crush again. But… I mean… it can happen to anyone, right? For a moment I was just… well cold and then… UGHHH. Forget it. What's the point of convincing myself really? I slowly pull back from him and tighten my own cloak around me, missing the warmth and the touch immediately. "Right. I'm okay now. Thanks." I smile a bit, deciding it's best to ignore his playful comment.

"Anytime. You just need to ask and I'm there." He says, his blue eyes dancing playfully.

And I just don't know what to think of it. He was being caring and friendly or perhaps joking but it also sounded intimate and even a bit sexual. God, he's killing me. I know I'm not in my rational state right now so I don't really trust my own logic very much. But my face flushes red anyway, even in that cold, and I try to hide it with my shawl. The cold is a good excuse to wrap my face with it completely. I just wrap and wrap until only my eyes are left out. Good. This way I can't say, or worse do, anything awfully stupid to him.

I don't ask for his… well… help, like that, anymore that day. We walk back to the group and spend almost the rest of the day going back in our tracks. I can't wait to get out of the snow. That would probably take a day or two but even a dry cave for tonight is a very welcome thought.

By the time we get to a cave, it's already dark and we're all exhausted. The first thing I do is going to the corner and taking off all my outer layer clothing. My leggings and white tank top are pleasantly dry, so I leave them on and gather my wet clothes to lay them on the rocks near the fire to dry for tomorrow. I kneel beside the fire and warm my hands a bit. They're still very cold from before. That reminds me of Legolas and how it felt to be held in his arms this morning. I really shouldn't, but my unruly mind begins to wonder how it would feel to be in his arms now. With all those thick clothes gone. To really feel his touch on my skin and his breath on my neck and…

TOO WARM. It's too warm and I quickly get up. As if on their own accord, my eyes find the elf, a few feet away, staring intently at me. I know I'm blushing from my thoughts just now and I hopelessly wish he wouldn't be able to see it in this light. But one of his eyebrows goes up and a hint of a smile forms on his handsome face. God. I'm doomed. I'm really starting to think he can read my mind. He knows. This must be another one of his mysterious elvish abilities, along with the ability to make my heart race like crazy. Or… or maybe he has something else in mind. Yes, that could be it. But that just starts a whole other crazy scenario in my head concerning more stupid things, like my thin white tank top and his sharp elvish eyes and… OH MY GOD… the purple bra I'm wearing underneath it at the moment. My eyes go wide. It must be it. He recognized this one is the one I was wearing the day of my… well that damn day he saw me naked. I see his smile turning into something more dangerous now, something I shouldn't be seeing. My poor heart. He probably knows exactly what I'm thinking.

I can't. I just CAN'T take any more of this for one day. I turn around abruptly and head straight to my bedroll. I pull on a warm woolen sweater with my back turned to the amused bastard and quickly disappear under my blanket. It's not like I can run anywhere else.

I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

 **Author's note:** Hello everyone! I'm back. Finally. After all this time. I know. I know. It's been a year and I'm really sorry. There are no excuses. I have none. Forgive me. I might have changed and so might have my writing style. To be honest I feel a bit rusty so help me please. Here's a new chapter for you all. Enjoy.

Love you.

Mira

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Focus. Focus. Come on. You can do it Freya. Just a little spark will be fine. Come on. Feel the energy and control it. Just like Gandalf said.

I kept chanting these to myself as I stared intently at the little pieces of firewood on the ground, trying to force them to catch fire. Today we were stopping earlier for the night since there would be no shelter further ahead and Gandalf thought we might want to rest before we change our way towards the Gates of Moria. That was totally fine with me. I still had not prepared myself for the underground, probably bug infested, adventure in Moria. Not to mention, dwarves or not, these guys have no electricity to light up the place. I've been avoiding the topic so far and I planned to not think about it till I actually have to walk past those gates.

"Lass, are ye trying to light a fire or stare a hole in the wood?" Gimli asked me jokingly, laying his heavy axe on the ground and settling beside me.

"Shhhh. She's concentrating. Don't distract her." I heard Pippin whispering excitedly.

"She can do it. I think I saw a bit of a spark in there a moment ago, honest." Sam said in a hushed tone. My hobbit friends all believed in me and kept on encouraging me, even though I was yet to achieve anything special. Even Frodo seemed to break his usual silence and cheered for me along with his friends. Gandalf told me it will take more time to get the handle of it, specially without a staff of some sort and ever since then the rest of the fellowship think it's endearing that I'm trying so hard. Legolas actually said it's cute that I'm expecting results this soon. I'll show him what's cute. Just wait. I got more determined when I thought of that and focused even harder. I could feel something on the tip of my fingers, buzzing. Just a bit more and…

"We need that fire sometime tonight Freya. Let me just…" Aragorn stopped midsentence when we all saw a few sparks and then the crackling sounds of a small fire filled the cave.

"YES. YES. I DID IT." I gasped and hugged the closest person on my left, who happened to be Boromir. He froze for a few seconds and then laughed, patting my back and relaxing a bit. "It appears you have surprised us again my lady."

I laughed happily and pulled back before he could give me another one of his speeches regarding proper behavior for an unmarried Lady accompanied by nine men. Well men, elf, dwarf, hobbits, wizard, whatever.

"That is an amazing development my dear. You exceed my expectations. Looks like I can teach you a thing or two before we reach Lothlorien after all." Gandalf said kindly and sat close to the fire to smoke his beloved pipe. I grinned wide, got up and went over to Sam and Aragorn who were preparing a simple stew for dinner. I picked up the knife and started peeling and chopping whatever Sam handed over to me. We chatted excitedly over my achievement as everyone else settled around the fire.

We were still in the snowy parts of the mountain but it was not as cold as it was before, and thankfully, none of us was freezing to death anymore. I was so happy with my little magic trick that I didn't even care about the horrible mountain pass anymore. We would be at the Gates of Moria by sundown tomorrow apparently and that meant I could get to see the dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf and get away from the snow. From what little I heard and read briefly in Rivendell, it was a magnificently built city deep in the Mines of Moria.

Since I already achieved lighting a fire by magic, I decided my next task to be producing light. Deep down I was still afraid of the dark I might have to face in the mines. But I did not share this with any of my companions. I chopped the last vegetable and dropped the bits into the boiling pot of stew before looking up at Gandalf with a huge grin on my face. He caught my eyes and raised his eyebrows questioningly, all the while smoking his pipe. I kept smiling and looked at him expectantly. Gandalf suddenly drew back a bit and put a light frown on his face. "What is it? Hmmm?" He asked me suspiciously, careful not to encourage me too much as it seemed. As always, the wizard knew I was up to something.

I bit my lip and began my argument slowly. "Well, Gandalf. I was thinking maybe you could… you know…"

He interrupted me and gave me a knowing look. "Freya. It is yet too soon. Settle down for now child. There will be enough time to learn everything. You are young and your powers may be unpredictable. We don't want any accidents now, do we?" He gave me a kind look and went back to his smoking again.

I could not hold back this time. "Powers? What powers? Oh, right. Is it like everyone having a specific power? Like a specialty? Oh Gandalf really? What's mine? Do you know what it is? Please, please tell me." I spoke so fast I couldn't even remember what I said exactly myself. I got myself to his side immediately. I was so excited about this new piece of information that I really couldn't help it.

Gandalf huffed and let a cloud of smoke out of his mouth and looked my way again. "Oh dear. I should not have told you that." A hint of a smile appeared on his tired face. "So young and full of energy." Aragorn and Legolas laughed at that. I pouted and looked at their amused faces.

"I'm not that young. I'm twenty three." I defended myself, expecting them to stop. But they just laughed harder at that. "I'm an adult." I pouted more and turned my face away from them and toward Gandalf again. Bullies. Gandalf looked at me kindly and smiled. "My dear, all I mean is you have a lot of time to learn. Don't overwork yourself needlessly." I smiled to show him I'm not really offended. And I really was not. Teasing me has turned into a newfound hobby for Legolas, and Aragorn just joins in from time to time, but none of them ever actually takes it that far. They know me that well already.

"And I don't know what your SPECIALTY, as you put it, really is. It shows itself over time. And it is not a certain power. It evolves and changes throughout your life. The events and decisions of your life shapes your power gradually." Gandalf added finally. I nodded in understanding. That was way more than Gandalf usually shared and I know when to stop.

I went back and sat beside Aragorn and Legolas. Legolas was looking at me with a smile on his handsome face. His handsome bullying face. YES. That should be the focus of your thoughts Freya not his handsomeness you idiot. I looked at Aragorn and asked. "So how old are you guys? Laughing at me like that. You should know that were I come from I'm considered a fully grown woman." I folded my arms on my chest and waited.

Aragorn smiled. "I apologize Freya. I know you are an adult among human girls. We were just joking."

I waved a hand at him and smiled. "I know. It's all right. But seriously how old are you? I was always curious before."

"I'm eighty seven." My ranger friend said casually. I looked and then looked some more.

"Huh?"

They both smiled at my confused face. Then it hit me. I read something about it somewhere. "Oh I remember. Is it the Dunedain thing? Umm… like your line was blessed with long life? Right?"

Aragorn nodded.

"Oh god. You could be my grandfather. But you look much younger." I said. "That's so cool. Now I see why 23 isn't much." Aragorn smiled and took out his pipe.

Then I looked at the elf sitting beside me and hesitated a moment. I already knew Legolas could be much older than I can imagine. Since I heard Gliriel was one thousand three hundred and twenty seven years old, I was wondering about his age. Now that I had the opportunity to actually know it, I was kinda scared. Scared because this number could show me how far away from him I really am. Worlds and lives apart probably. Legolas saw the hesitation in my eyes and the twinkle that was in his own eyes seconds ago left altogether. There was nothing hidden from those blue orbs. I wondered if he knew why I was scared of this.

"Well as for me, I am two thousand nine hundred and thirty one. It is not that old for an elf really." He said, not taking his eyes away from me. "Though still far too much older than you little one." He almost sighed when he said that. My eyes shot back up to search his. What was that? He kept his eyes on me but the perfectly carved elven mask was back on his face and I could not see what lay beneath. Was I wrong to assume that he was thinking what I was thinking? I noticed Aragorn looking from Legolas to me and then back to Legolas again and I blushed at the possibility of him knowing my inner feelings. I dropped my head and busied myself with a piece of firewood. I could not let these feelings, whatever they were, grow more than they already had in my heart. I was imagining things. As they said, I'm probably just too young.

Not long after that, Pippin mentioned that he is the youngest after me and began to tell me of the advantages that brought us, turning the atmosphere back into a happier one unknowingly. The conversations went on that night but I cannot remember what we actually talked about afterwards. My mind was too busy trying to digest the load of new data it was given.

It was better for me to concentrate on Gandalf's words and teachings.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next day Gandalf caved in and told me how to produce light. It was a pure kind of magic and required a pure memory. The light. The stronger the memory the brighter and more powerful the magic. I thought of granny, Tina, and Rivendell. My brightest memories. And after countless tries, I could finally make a spark of light shine on top of my hands. Nothing bright and impressive but still improvement. Ever since Gandalf said that I have a role for good or evil, I've been worried about Sauron and how he may want to use me on his side. But now that I suddenly had magic, producing this little spark of pure light reassured me so much. Something as beautiful and pure as that tiny spark could not possibly be used for evil.

It was the last hours of light when we reached the walls of Moria. We walked up the rocky path leading to a dark lake that spread before us. Beyond the lake, the walls of Moria stood tall. The top of the wall couldn't be seen since the mist had blocked the view. We had to go around the lake to reach the wall. The rocky path was narrow and wet, making our passage quite slippery. My eyes were glued to the ground beneath so I wouldn't slip and fall into the most probably freezing waters.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli told me, knocking his axe gently on the rocky wall.

"Yes Gimli. Their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf added simply, tracing the wall with his fingers and moving forward.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas said that with an unmistakable mocking tone from my right. Here we go again. I bit my lip to stop the chuckle that threatened to leave my mouth and gave Legolas a reprimanding look. It wasn't fait to gang up on poor Gimli like that. Gimli huffed with annoyance at this comment and pressed on.

"Don't do that." I told Legolas in a hushed tone. He shrugged and a tiny small brightened his face.

A few minutes later, Gandalf stopped and announced we have reached the doors. But we needed the light of the moon and the stars. It wouldn't take long now. I put my pack down and sat on a nearby rock, catching my breath. We had to let bill, the pony, go back home. Aragorn said we cannot take him to the mines. I hope the poor pony could really find his way home safely. I never figured how animals do that really.

Finally, the moon came out and moonlight shone on the wall. The door became alive and shone in beautiful silver patterns and words. Gandalf turned back to the shining door. "It reads 'The doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter." He said after examining the foreign writings.

Merry asked what it means. Apparently, you were supposed to speak the password and enter. If you were a friend of course.

 _"Gate of the Elves open now for me!"_ Gandalf put the end of his staff to the door and chanted in Elvish. The doors remained closed. _"Gate of Elves listen to my word, Threshold of Dwarves!"_ He tried again. But the rock didn't move an inch.

We all looked at each other and Pippin said nothing's happened. Gandalf tried pushing the doors and sighed, saying he once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves, Men and Orcs. I looked at Legolas and he seemed uncertain as well.

"What are you going to do then?" Pippin said casually and I grabbed his shoulder in warning to not bother the wizard but it was already too late. Gandalf snapped and said he would knock Pippin's head against the walls and then in a tired voice asked for a moment to think in peace. We all backed away and settled down with that.

This place was too quiet. The only sound we could hear was the mumbling of Gandalf and the noise made by the wind passing over the dark waters of the lake. We all sat in silence and waited. Legolas stood on a rock and scanned the area as usual. I felt like I could practice the light ball thingy but I was afraid to disturb Gandalf. Merry and Pippin began a contest to see who can throw a stone farther away in the lake to fight the boredom. The splashing sounds seemed too loud in this quiet and Aragorn stopped them immediately. Then when I was about to get up and stretch my legs, Frodo suddenly came up with the answer to the riddle and the doors moved. We gathered happily and peered inside the darkness of the passage. Too dark. We all began to move inside. Gimli was happily telling Legolas of the hospitality of the dwarves and his cousin, Balin. I blinked a few times to get my eyes to adjust to the darkness and stood beside Pippin, waiting for Gandalf to light his staff so we could see the path ahead. As soon as the dim light crept up the walls of the hall, we knew something was terribly wrong.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb." Boromir said grimly. We stepped back in horror at the sight of the skeletons and the rotting armor of the dead soldiers. Gimli started running around and shouted with grief at the sight of the dead dwarves. Legolas quickly examined one of the arrows imbedded in a skull. "Goblins." He spat the word with hate and nocked an arrow, ready to fight. I was in shock and I backed away with the hobbits. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords.

"We make for the gap of Rohan. We should never have come here. Now get out of here. Get out." Boromir said and I couldn't agree more. Let's leave this place right now please.

We were turning to leave when Merry and Pippin began shouting. Sam asked for help in a raised voice. I looked back and saw the most terrifying creature I've ever seen. A large Kraken like monster had grabbed Frodo with its huge tentacles. My eyes went wide. Everything happened so fast. One minute the whole place was quiet and the next we were all running and shouting. Aragorn and Boromir ran to help while Legolas started shooting arrow after arrow at the creature. That's when I came out of shock and took out my sword. My aim with the bow wasn't good enough for this. Frodo screamed and I saw the monster picking him up and pulling him into the air. I tried to slash at the many tentacles of the monster. Among all that uproar, the monster opened its ugly mouth and tried to eat my poor friend. I screamed and cut off one of its tentacles, no longer caring about cutting a living creature. The creature made a screeching sound but didn't back down. Aragorn and Boromir slashed at it mercilessly until the monster dropped Frodo. Boromir caught him and we all heard Gandalf's shout, ordering us to go back into the mine. What the hell was happening? It's like all the doors were shutting in our faces these last few days. I began to run inside with everyone else but before I could take a step, something slippery wrapped around my waist. My sword fell out of my hand and I was lifted up into the air. Fear cut through me and I screamed. The fellowship turned back again and rushed to my rescue this time. The tentacle squeezed me harder and I gasped. I couldn't breathe. My head started to spin from the lack of oxygen. I could still hear the shouts all around me. The creature took me farther into the water and toward its mouth, probably deciding I'm as good as a dinner as his last prey. I struggled again and shouted. I didn't want to die. Not now. Not like this. Fear rose through my chest and I felt my hands shaking. I could feel the bruises forming on my waist already. Arrows pierced the hard skin of the monster but it didn't let me go. I gathered the last shreds of power in me and screamed once more. I wasn't exactly sure how but right then an angry ball of energy exploded from my hands and hit the creature in the face, or whatever that surface with a mouth was called anyway. The dark sizzling energy burned through its skin. I wasn't sure how I did that, but it was brutal and scary. The creature screeched loudly and dropped me. I hit the cold waters. A hand immediately grabbed onto me and dragged me to the shore. Everyone was still shouting. I couldn't hear things properly. Aragorn picked up my forgotten sword from the shore and pushed me back inside the doors of the mine. I let him drag me along mindlessly. I was in a daze and I'm not sure what happened but when I came to myself Aragorn was shaking me and we were back in the dark again.

"Freya, are you alright?" The ranger shook me some more.

I snapped out of it and nodded weakly. I remembered Frodo. My eyes searched the once more dimly lighted hall, and found another soaking wet person beside myself and sighed with relief. Thank God, he was all right. We were all shaken. The door was blocked now. We were locked in. Somehow, the archway had fallen and closed the opening. Gandalf finished checking on Frodo and came over to me. I'm pretty sure he saw the panic in my eyes. I knew what I did wasn't normal and it didn't look good at all. It was pure black. It couldn't be good. The wizard knew what was going on through my mind and put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Thank the Valar you are not hurt."

I looked up at him, surprised at being treated gently after what I did. Gandalf gave me a weak smile. "You will learn to control it my dear. Sometimes if you feel so much pain, fear, or anger you may lose control. Emotions like this are strong. They overwhelm you fast and hard, but they often leave you just as quickly and you will have to live with the consequences of your actions. Light magic is harder to wield because it needs so much more control in the face of danger. You have to learn to fight dark with light."

I nodded my head and dropped my eyes to the ground. I knew what he meant.

Gandalf patted my back once more and went to discuss something with Aragorn. I looked at Frodo and silently asked him if he was all right. He nodded, shaking slightly from the chill. I turned to get my pack and change into something drier while I had the chance and saw Legolas standing very close to me. He looked very tense. His eyes traveled up and down my body. I knew he was worried. I looked into his pretty eyes and felt tears gathering in my own. This near death experience had me all weak and shaken. I tried to hide it from everyone but the elf could see right through me. My heart was pounding from all the fear and terror, and all I wanted was to feel his arms wrapped around me protectively and to bury my face in his chest, but I stopped myself and just looked for the comfort in his eyes. Legolas didn't talk. He stepped closer and took my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks gently. "You're freezing Freya."

I gulped and mentally told my heart to shut up before moving away and scrambling through my bag for something to change into. I knew I was running away. "Yeah, the water was freezing." I said quickly. And then turned to Frodo. "Frodo you should change too or we're gonna catch our death in this cold." After finding my clothes hiding in the most unlikely corner of my bag, I turned to look for a place to change and came face to face with Legolas once more. It didn't look like he planned on leaving my side for a while. I smiled at him. "Legolas nothing's gonna snatch me away right now you know?" I was trying to ease him a little. But no, it didn't look like he was going to fall for it.

"I'll hold up my cloak so you can change. Come on, you'll get sick in those clothes." And then he immediately turned around and did just that. I looked at his back and sighed. He was too kind and I was too much of an idiot. I shook my head and quickly took off the wet clothes behind the makeshift changing room Legolas was providing and thanked him appreciatively. He meant well. And probably didn't have any idea how attached to him I was becoming.

I looked around when I was done and sighed. This didn't look very good. Well yes, I did just escaped death but now we had Goblins to deal with. "I'm not a fan of the mines." I whispered to the elf sorrowfully and we both walked back to the group. Gimli was silent. I knew he was worried and probably dreading the worst. Gandalf stopped talking to Aragorn and Boromir and turned to the rest of us.

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world." The old man warned us all in a hushed tone. I looked at my companions worriedly and I could see that all of them were tense and uncomfortable. We all started following Gandalf and I quickly followed. I seriously didn't want to, but what other choice was left?

"Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed." Came the wizard's voice once more and I shivered at the possibility of being found out by these foul creatures. Perfect. To think that I was worried about being underground and creepy crawly bugs in the mines. If only I knew we were walking into this, I would've stayed and froze to death on Caradhras.

And then our four-day journey through Moria began.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Lord of the Rings, only my OC, Freya.

 **Author's note:** Hello again my dear friends! I know you want to read the story without further ado but I just have a little tiny confession to make. So read on please.

I always loved Moria. It was amazing and exciting in the movies and the books. The thing is I was dreading Moria since long ago because I thought it would be such a challenge for me to write. Well obviously, because I love it too much and I think it deserves a lot better than my writing. Now I know I said this fanfiction was going to be based on the movies, but when I started writing it, I found that it's not enough. So, I kinda took the liberty of mixing all sources and wrote this chapter a bit differently. So consider yourself forewarned, cause it's not gonna follow the movies bit by bit. I hope it turned out okay. You'll be the judge of that.

Now before I bore you to death let's get on with the story. Please read and review. I love to know what you think.

Love you all.

Mira

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN:**

We walked down the narrow rocky pathway in complete silence. I stayed close to Legolas. Gandalf and Gimli were ahead, leading our way through the dark. Frodo and Sam were right behind them and the rest of us were following behind. We didn't have much light so I could barely see where I was walking but I was still terrified to try my magic for getting some light. Who knew? Maybe I saw a shadow in a corner, freak out and light up the whole place, getting the attention of every goddamn goblin in the whole mines. Long story short, I didn't trust myself with magic. At least for now. So I peeled my eyes and stepped behind Legolas. He could see much better than I could, and I was using him as my guide.

We walked for a few minutes before we came to a broader hall. This one was skeleton-free and it lead to a huge staircase up ahead. The roof was high and I saw the gigantic feet of dwarven statues on the walls. The heads were engulfed by shadows and couldn't be seen.

Gandalf stopped and waved us all closer. We gathered around wordlessly. "We have a long way ahead of us. I say we push farther in a bit and then camp for the night. It is still the early hours of the night." The wizard said in a hushed tone.

"Agreed. I say the sooner we can get out of this place, the better. Let us press on." Boromir said from my left. We all seemed to agree on going on. Gandalf once again warned us to be as quiet as possible and began walking to the stairway. I hurried along since I really didn't want to be at the back of the group. I don't know how Aragorn and Boromir were okay with being the last ones. Well they were brave warriors I suppose.

The stairs went up and up, like it would never end. My legs were burning so bad by the time we got to the top. I just realized that going through the mines probably meant a lot of ups and downs. There were hallways leading up or down at every corner. Some were blocked by large boulders of stone and some lead to the shadows. We reached a more mine like place after that. Well it actually looked like a cave to me. A cave leading downward with a winding path. I didn't know how Gandalf was deciding which way to go but it seemed like he was leading us down the right path. If I was alone in this cave for a minute, I would manage to get myself lost with no hope of even finding the way I came from. It turned right and left in the most confusing manner. The ground was unstable. Right then a small rock slipped from under my foot and I lost my balance, but before I could fall off the edge of the path Legolas caught me around the waist and pulled me back to his side. I winced in pain when his arm squeezed my now probably bruised waist but thanked him in a low voice. His arm instantly loosened around me and his eyes dropped to my waist.

"I'm ok Legolas. It's just a bit sore from that stupid monster squeezing me so hard back then." I said that even in a lower voice. I couldn't help but feeling we could be found out or even watched by something evil right now. A frown formed on his eyebrows as I wiggled myself out of his arms and away from him. Torn between my stupid feelings. I felt scared, worried and somehow sad. I was already frustratingly attached to this caring, immortal, unattainable elf and he was way too kind to me. I tried to walk passed him but he took my hand firmly in his own and marched forward.

"Please hold on to me until we reach more stable grounds Freya. It's very dangerous in these caves and there is not enough light for you to see." He said in a stern voice without looking at me. His face was turned toward the path ahead.

"Thank you Legolas, but I can…" I began objecting but he cut me off mid-sentence.

"Please. Let me help you. I know you're fine on your own but…" his eyes searched mine in the darkness, "Please."

I looked into those confusing blue eyes once more and shut my mouth. I smiled weakly and nodded. We started walking side by side again, this time my hand was clutched in Legolas' and he kept me steady whenever I was about to trip. Ever since we walked into Moria, Legolas seemed somehow… pained? You know, like shaken or something. Was it because I almost got swallowed by that thing? But then again I might be giving myself too much credit. We were friends but we've known each other for just a bit more than two months. I may be carried away because I'm too young but what about him. He's almost 3000 years old. I'm just a weird girl. Or perhaps it was Moria? The goblins? I've never seen goblins. Maybe they're very dangerous? Or maybe the dark? Oh forget it. What's the use? Concentrate on where you're stepping you stupid girl.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

We walked on and on for hours. I didn't know how long it has been since we walked in. There was no light so I couldn't tell. I just know that the road turned right, left, up and down so many freaking times that I lost count. Apparently, we were moving in the general direction of east. I have no idea how Gandalf was navigating his way without a compass or anything, but he kept on counting the levels of the mines each time we went up or down, murmuring to himself all the time.

Legolas was still holding my hand in the dark. None of us talked. We were all listening in for the possible danger in our path. The only sound you could hear was the sound of our labored breathing, our tired footsteps, and Gandalf's occasional mumblings. Although we were dead tired, none of us wanted to stop yet. We were too out in the open. Well out in a mine, but still you know, we were on the main road.

There were bottomless chasms everywhere. Dwarves of Moria had gone too deep into the ground. We passed narrow paths where you could slip to your death at the bottom of the black nothingness below and we passed bridges where I held on to my elf friend tightly so I could walk straight. The mere depth of the chasm below the bridges was enough to make my knees feel all wobbly and shaking. Here and there, the mining equipment could still be seen. Ladders, ropes and carts that looked too old to use anymore. We were pretty down below the ground already but there were still some paths to our left and right that lead even lower. Even the thought of sitting in those carts and being lowered down further into the depths was scary enough to make me dizzy. I had no clue how the Dwarves could do it on a daily basis.

Just when I thought this march was never going to end, Gandalf suddenly stopped. We were in front of a huge arch with three passages. "I have no memory of this place." Our guide announce that thoughtfully. He kept looking from one passage to another. The problem was that they seemed to all head towards east. The middle one seemed to continue on the same level toward east but the left one plunged downward and the other passage continued upward. We all stood behind Gandalf, uncertain of what to do now. Last thing we needed right now was to get lost in these winding paths. Who knew how long it would delay us if we strayed off the main road?

Gandalf sighed. "I am too weary to decide." He shook his head. "Let us stop here and have a little rest. You should all be weary as well." He glanced at the hobbits and then at me. I'm sure we looked like we were ready to pass out. The wizard's eyes lingered on me and I suddenly remembered that I'm still holding hands with the elf. I blushed and pulled my hand out of his, trying to make it look as nonchalant as possible. Legolas looked at my flushed face and let me go. Maybe he thought I was embarrassed to be thought of as a scared child who needed protection. That was a legit reason but it wasn't the case. Gandalf was sharp. He could decipher riddles harder than the stupid feelings of a little girl who had an impossible crush. That was my reason. Aragorn called Legolas over just in time and saved me of the scrutiny of the elf. They started speaking softly in Elvish.

We all laid down our heavy bags and I stood beside Sam and Merry.

"I'm hungry." Pippin whispered from behind us.

I turned to my short friend and sat on the ground right there. "Now that you mentioned that, I'm hungry too." I whispered back. "We've been walking far too much today."

Merry nodded his agreement. "I hope he remembers." He added in a worried tone.

"He'll remember alright. It's Mr. Gandalf we're talking about." Sam tried reassuring us. Although I could hear his own anxiety in his hushed voice. We were all uneasy. Frodo kept looking back to the way we've come, twitching all the time. I followed the trail with my eyes and saw nothing. Nothing moved. Nothing I could see anyway.

A few minutes later Aragorn and Legolas walked back to us. "There seems to be a stone door not much farther to the left from here. The chamber beyond it looks empty. I think it would be a good place to camp." Aragorn told Gandalf who was still deep in thought, trying to remember his old memories of this dusty place.

And so we got up, gathered our stuff and followed Aragorn and Legolas into the stone chamber that indeed appeared to be very empty. It was just a square looking room with cold walls and hard ground. It didn't look very comfy but at least there were walls and we couldn't be seen. That gave me a slight comfort.

"This must have been a room for the guards." Gimli wondered, examining the walls.

We all gathered in a corner of the room, ate some bread and then tried to get some shut-eye. The stony ground was very cold and I could feel the cold seeping through my bedroll and right into my bones. Well it wasn't freezing cold like in Caradhras, but we also couldn't light a fire in here. I cuddled as close as possible to my hobbit friends. We had to leave some of our blankets, which the pony carried, outside the mines, so it was colder than usual.

I wish I could crawl into Legolas' arms as I did back in that cave on Caradhras. But in reality, I just ran away from him. I knew he wouldn't refuse if I asked him but it was not considered appropriate. I knew that. I wasn't a child. First Aragorn and now Gandalf noticed something's up with me.

Boromir was on watch duty tonight. The strong warrior didn't like these mines at all. I couldn't blame him for hating it so much. It felt like a prison. Like being trapped. And so he decided he should keep an eye out since he wasn't gonna get a blink of sleep anyway.

I said a tired good night to everyone but before I shut my eyes, I caught Legolas staring at me with a perplexed expression. My heart skipped a bit at the look he gave me. I moved away from him earlier while he was occupied with Aragorn and slipped in between the hobbits. It was necessary to keep a distance with him when all the troublesome me wanted to do was slipping to his side and seeking the comfort he usually provided me with. I didn't trust myself but I also didn't want him to misunderstand anything. I smiled tiredly at him and mouthed silently, "Goodnight."

His eyes instantly lit up and a small smile formed on his lips. He nodded. Good. We were alright then.

I didn't think I could sleep with all this emotional turmoil. And of course, the anxiety of having our throats cut in our sleep was added to that. But apparently I've been underestimating my body and how worn out it actually had become, because the moment I closed my eyes I drifted off into unconsciousness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gandalf shook me awake a few hours later. I immediately shot up straight and went into defensive mood.

"Easy now Freya. Don't blow my face off just yet." Chuckled Gandalf. He was in a better mood today apparently.

"Sorry Gandalf. I just… I don't know… thought we were under attack or something." I sighed and let my shoulders relax once more.

Merry shuffled out of his bedroll beside me. "How do we know it's morning? It's still dark in here." He mumbled, stifling a yawn with his hand.

"We are deep beneath the mountain Master hobbit. There are no openings in these parts to let the light of the day inside, but I assure you it is morning." Gandalf said and gathered his stuff.

"But on that account, I made my decision while you were all sleeping." The wizard dusted himself off and leaned on his staff. "I do not have a good feeling about that middle passage and the left one has a foul air about it. I don't like the smell of it. Something must be down there. So I think we shall go through the right one. It's about time we start climbing up again."

That instantly lifted my spirit. "Oh thank God." I sighed with relief.

Aragorn lifted an eyebrow and smiled crookedly at me. "Scared to go deeper into the ground, are we my lady?"

"I…I…" I stared back at him and contemplated denying it for a second. And then gave up. "Well… yeah." My voice was low, but my friends all heard it. What was the use in denying it? This place creeped me out so much. The fellowship broke into a soft laugh and everyone gave me a pat on the back. Now it was obvious I was the youngest.

We had a little bit of a breakfast and then started climbing up the stairs on the right path. It went on and on, but thankfully, we encountered nothing vicious. I could feel the air changing. It wasn't as still and damp as before. The road was easier as well. No more gaps. We went on a lot faster than yesterday. Or perhaps we were better rested. Old weapons and strange equipment were abandoned everywhere. Some thick old dusty books were also tossed about on the stairs. The place showed obvious signs of plunder. I glanced at some of the books on the side and there were full of strange rune like characters. Fascinating, really. But also sad that people who had wrote these with such care had to abandon their home and run away for their lives. Moria had been empty of dwarves for long years, even before Gimli's cousin, Balin, would venture here to reclaim the mines from the orcs.

We were still in the dark and following the faint light of Gandalf's staff, when the narrow passage we were walking in began to grow wider. And then the walls disappeared completely. It felt like we were in a wide hall now. But nothing could be seen yet.

"Ah. I was right. At last we are coming to the habitable parts, and I guess we are not far from the eastern side." Gandalf said, seemingly pleased. "But we are high up, a good deal higher than the Dimril Gate, unless I am mistaken. From the feeling of the air, we must be in a wide hall. I will now risk a little real light." Gandalf raised his staff a bit and a bright light shone from the head of his staff and lightened the hall around us. Big, thick stone pillars rose in front and beside us. The hall was so big I couldn't believe it could be made in these caves. How would they even make such huge pillars?

"Behold the great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf." Gandalf said as he himself took the vastness of the hall in. It was truly breath taking.

"There's an eye-opener and no mistake." Sam said with an amazed voice. We all looked around in awe. Even Legolas was impressed with the dwarf city. I could tell from the look on his face. I chuckled at his reluctance to give a compliment.

"That is all that I shall venture on for the present." The wizard lessened the light of his staff and the great glisteningly black walls once again disappeared in the shadows. Gandalf explained that there were once windows in these parts, shafts that lead to the light of the sky. We had to wait for the light of the day to be sure. We progressed very well for the day and Gandalf decided it's a safe enough place to spend the night.

We settled in a corner of the great hall and huddled together. I felt like we were a bunch of little ants in this corner of the hall. I could see four pillars in front of our makeshift camp and nothing beyond. That made me a bit uneasy. Shadows seemed to move and dance around us. I constantly felt like eyes could be staring at us from the dark corners. Even the roof couldn't be seen. But Gandalf was feeling awfully relaxed. He just wrapped himself in a blanket and went to sleep immediately. The rest of us talked a bit and I listened to Gimli talking about the old songs they had for Moria. He told us how these halls were once full of light and life. It was hard to believe that this place once used to buzz with life and joy, when all we could feel right now was a gloomy heavy atmosphere around us that stretched to every end. I felt sorry for my dwarf friend. Even though I didn't enjoy the mines at all, it must have been a comfortable home to his kind.

Sleep didn't come as easily as last night. I kept rolling around all throughout Aragorn's watch and didn't get a blink of sleep. For a second I thought maybe if it was completely dark, I could sleep easier. This flickering weak light made the hall look scarier. There was nothing there but I kept imagining movements here and there. My eyelids were terribly heavy when Legolas relieved Aragorn from his watch and took his place. I felt more comfortable when he was on watch. Legolas was super sharp and nothing passed his eyes unnoticed. I knew that and maybe that's what made me sleepier. I felt the elf moving to my side and sitting beside my bedroll in silence.

"Are you okay?" He whispered to me kindly.

"Yeah. I just don't like being in the open like this." I told him and before he could say anything else added quickly, "But I know you're watching so it's fine." I smiled tiredly. "Aren't you tired though Legolas?" I placed my hand on the back of his right hand resting on his knee thoughtlessly and felt a jolt of electricity shot up my arm immediately. He grabbed my hand before I could pull back and stroked my knuckles gently. His eyes found mine in the dark.

"I'm fine little one. I had enough rest last night. You should go to sleep. Morning will soon be upon us." He smiled and gave my hand a light squeeze before releasing it. I instantly missed his touch and blushed at the bold suggestions my brain was offering me. I couldn't possibly do any of those. So I nodded and hid my probably tomato colored face under my blanket and focused on my breathing to get my heartbeat down to a more reasonable speed. It took me a few minutes but I managed somehow. I could still feel Legolas sitting so close beside me, although I didn't dare take a peek.

Sleepiness was taking over me when a gentle hand began stroking my hair. Warmth flowed into my cheeks again. God it was Legolas. Maybe he thought I'm already deep asleep. His touch was so light. He just played with a long strand of hair between his fingers. I kept on pretending to be asleep and didn't move a muscle. This was shockingly pleasant. I heard him sigh and say something in Elvish under his breath and then his warm hand stroked my head softly. It was like his gentleness was getting under my skin and calming my nerves. I no longer thought of the shadows around us, or the cold, damp wind blowing on our skin. I was warm and comfortable all over now.


End file.
